


the missing piece (i think not)

by Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Art References, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Future AU, High School AU, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Jughead Andrews, Medium Burn, Mentions of Anxiety, Soulmate AU, Strangers to Friends, adopted Jughead, angst that comes from growing up, archie is the ultimate himbo, basically its just the gang growing up together, fluffy fluff, future relationship angst, healthy coping mechanisms are introduced, kids fic, like TOOTH ROTTING fluff, mentions of foster care, the childhood that they only hinted at, the three muskateers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23703958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless/pseuds/Ithoughtyoulikedmereckless
Summary: Everyone is born with a blank puzzle piece on the inside of their wrist. We are given clues as to who our mate is even from the very beginning, marks appear on the opposite wrist from your mate. When holding hands, marks should touch, it’s just one of the many indications that this person was made specifically for you, down to a science. When we are young and making friends for the first time, we tend to be drawn to people with marks on the opposite wrist, it’s a reflex. As we grow older, mark placement means very little when making friends.The age varies at which a person’s first image appears inside their puzzle piece. It coincides with when a person first enters into puberty. For girls, the day they get their first period is when they get their first image. For boys it’s a little trickier, it seems to coincide with their first voice crack. Our first image is a watercolor of our soulmate’s color aesthetic.- Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 208
Kudos: 190
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. happily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Darlings!
> 
> I know that things are kind of weird right now in the fandom, and things suck. I'm hoping my little story will bring a smile to your faces and help you ignore canon for now. I'm really excited about this project and I hope you all are too! I'm tired of our beloved characters being sad and so I wrote them a life I think they all deserve. I hope you like it! I'd love to know what you think.
> 
> Much love,  
rachel

_ Every individual is born with a blank puzzle piece on the inside of their wrist. We are given clues as to who our mate is even from the very beginning. Marks appear on the opposite wrist from your mate: when holding hands, marks touch. This is one of the many indications that this person was made specifically for you. When we are young and making friends for the first time, we tend to be reflexively drawn to people with marks on the opposite wrist. As we grow older, mark placement means very little when making friends.  _

_ Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’ _

  
  


When Betty is six years old, she has three best friends: her red-headed neighbor Archie, her big sister Polly, and her most favorite elephant Evangeline. She doesn’t think life can get any better; she sees Archie at school everyday, then goes home to play with him as well as Polly and Evangeline some more. Her mom always has snacks laid out for them when they arrive, usually carrot sticks and goldfish (but only the original kind, they have to go to Archie’s for rainbow goldfish). Once they’re done, they run back and forth between both of their backyards until dinnertime.

Little Betty Cooper’s life does, in fact, get much better one day on her way to school. Hand in hand, her and Archie walk behind their moms, Archie’s bright red Converse next to her suede brown Mary Janes. Their lunch boxes dangle in their free hands, backpacks bouncing against their backs as they skip over the cracks in the sidewalk. 

Archie shakes Betty’s hand. “I almost forgot to tell you, Betty!” His face lights up with excitement at whatever it is he has to tell her. “I’m getting a brother today!”

Betty stops skipping and screws her face up in confusion. “But… your Mommy’s belly isn’t round?”

Archie just tugs on her hand to get her to keep skipping with him. “Yeah, I know that, silly.”

Staring hard at the side of Archie's face, she’s trying to figure out how Archie’s new brother is getting here.  _ Maybe storks really do bring babies? _

“He lived with another family before us, we’re gonna be his… uhhh…” Archie’s lips pout and his eyebrows furrow in concentration. 

Mary Andrews pauses her conversation with Alice Cooper and looks behind her, ruffling Archie’s hair. “His foster family, honey.” 

Excitement floods back to Archie’s features. “Right!” He looks at Betty with a gap-toothed grin. “We’re gonna be his foster family. He’s six, just like us!”

“Really? So now we can have two Hardy Boys when we play Nancy Drew!” Betty swings Archie’s hand, bouncing with excitement.

Archie’s gaze turns a little glazed, as it does whenever she asks to play something that isn’t Knights and Princesses. “I guess so.” 

Sidetracked by her excitement, Betty comes back to the unfamiliar word. “What does foster mean?”

Kicking a stone into the next sidewalk square he answers, “I’m not really sure, but Mommy said he’s gonna live with us and be my brother. He’s gonna be officially part of our family soon, we just have to wait for some stuff to happen.”

“Wow! Do you know his name?” 

Archie nods. “His real name’s too hard for me to remember, but he doesn’t like it anyway, so it’s okay. He likes Jughead, which is kinda weird, but I really like it!”

“ _ Jughead.”  _ She whispers, trying it out herself, not really confident that she heard correctly. “Jughead?”

“Mmhm!” 

Betty decides she likes it. “He sounds fun. I can’t wait to play with him later.”  _ Speaking of later _ … “It’s Friday, which means…”

Looking at each other with massive grins, they throw their conjoined hands and the hands with their lunchboxes in them up in the air. Both of them shout gleefully, “It’s cookie day!”

The rest of the walk to school is filled with giddy giggles and joyous shrieks. 

****

Betty paces around her kitchen, Evangeline hugged tightly to her chest. The sugar cookies she's waiting to bring over to the Andrews’ are sitting on the counter, all frosted with pink and blue icing. She put white flower sprinkles on top, because no cookie really tastes good enough without sprinkles. 

Mrs. Andrews had told Betty to come over at four so Jughead could have time to settle at home and get comfortable with Archie before meeting even more new people. Now she just has to wait for the big hand on the clock to reach the twelve. At least, that’s what her mom had told her after the twenty-seventh time she’d asked when they could go. 

Plopping down on the kitchen floor in front of the clock, Betty places Evangeline to sit in front of her, both watching the tiniest hand tick around. 

Eventually, Betty slumps completely on the ground, limbs akimbo as she stares up at the ceiling. 

Once she gets tired of connecting the specks above her with imaginary lines created by her eyes, she starts blinking her eyes, seeing how fast she can do it. All while humming Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid, of course.

After waiting...

And waiting...

And waiting...

_ And more waiting _ ...

Alice comes in, helping her daughter off of the ground with a smile and fond shake of her head. “Ready to go, sweetheart?”

Betty doesn’t need to be told twice, rushing to the kitchen island to scoop the cookies off of the counter, already at the door before Alice can even finish getting her shoes on. Betty clutches her elephant in one hand, the plate of cookies held close to her body with the other. “Come  _ on _ , Mommy!” Without waiting for an answer, Betty whips open the door and starts off across her side yard and into Archie’s driveway. She pauses to look behind her, seeing her mom just walking out the door. Betty lets out a little huff and finishes running all the way to the Andrews’ front door. Her hand reaches for the doorbell, but stops right before it hits the glowing orange button.  _ Mom said I couldn’t go in without her. Whyyyyyyyy? _

Turning around, she watches her mom walk across the lawn, taking her sweet time.  _ I thought Cooper women were supposed to hustle!  _ Betty starts bouncing on the balls of her feet, impatience oozing out of her with every bounce. “Mooom!” she whines.

Alice lets out a laugh, “Oh, I’m sorry Betty! Did you want me to go  _ slower _ ?” She makes her gait even more exaggerated and painstaking. 

Betty shakes the plate of cookies in her hands in frustration, and bounces faster. “Mommy! I wanna meet Jughead!  _ Pleeeeeease _ .”

“Alright, I’m coming.” Alice jogs lightly to reach the steps. “Go ahead and ring the doorbell.”

Before the words are fully out of her mother’s mouth, Betty’s pointer finger presses the bell twice. 

Archie immediately swings open the door. “Betty!” 

Betty smiles widely and thrusts the plate of cookies at him, which he happily takes from her and immediately passes off to his mom, who’s behind him.

“Let them come inside, honey,” Mary says, holding the door open for her neighbors.

Archie grabs Betty’s hand and pulls her inside, enveloping her in a big hug as soon as they get into the living room. Betty squeezes him just as tightly, her elephant hanging down his back from her hands that’re around his neck. She quickly remembers why she’s here, though, and her eyes start darting around the room, looking for Jughead. 

Before she breaks away from Archie, she whispers into his ear, “So where is he?” 

Archie pulls away and whips his head, around the room, seeming confused. “I…don’t know?” Before he can look further, though, Mary unwraps the cookies and places them on the coffee table, effectively distracting Archie. 

Looking around the room, she sees two coloring books, crayons, and markers scattered across the floor, and she knows Jughead was probably just in here. Her eyes travel around the room until her gaze falls on the hallway leading to the kitchen. Two black sneakers, a head covered by a grey knitted hat, and ten fingers peek out from behind the wall. Betty takes a tentative step forward at the same time as the head peeks all the way out so she can see his very blue eyes. 

As soon as the person she assumes is Jughead sees her, his body disappears from view entirely. 

Mrs. Andrews rounds the corner, body momentarily disappearing from view as well. Betty can hear soft whispers until Archie’s mom steps out, hand in hand with the blue eyed boy. They walk over, Jughead tucked behind Mrs. Andrews’ leg, looking more at the floor than anyone else. 

“Betty, this is Jughead.” Kneeling down to get on their level, Mrs. Andrews speaks to him in a faintly softer voice. “Jughead, this is Betty. She lives next door.”

She flashes him a bright smile and waves. “Hi! I’m so happy to meet you. I can’t wait to be your friend.”

Jughead nods but keeps his eyes glued to the floor, tucking himself a little further behind Mary’s leg.

_ Maybe he wants a cookie. Cookies make everyone happy.  _

Betty heads over to the coffee table, picking up two cookies, one with blue frosting and one with pink. She walks back over to Jughead and offers him the blue one. “I helped my mommy make them after school. They taste really good.”

Taking a step away from Mary, still holding tightly to her hand, Jughead takes the cookie. His gaze flickers up to her for a split second. 

Betty’s heart sinks for a moment, but then she remembers her mom telling her Jughead has been meeting a lot of new people and might just be shy.  _ I’m not giving up hope. He  _ will _ be my friend by the time we leave. I just know it. _

They all sit around in the living room for a bit, the grown ups chatting on the sofa, Archie and Betty blabbering about what happened at school that day, and Jughead munching on sugar cookies. 

Mary suggests that Archie and Jughead take Betty upstairs so she can see the boys’ set up. Archie grabs her hand, bringing her up the stairs, almost falling up the steps in his excitement. Their giggles echo down the stairwell. Jughead follows behind them. 

“We have bunk beds! Isn’t that awesome? Jughead has his own room down the hall, but we put bunk beds in my room in case he wants to share instead. I wanna share, but Mom said it was up to Juggie.” Archie’s in the middle of his room, gesturing towards his new bed wildly, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

Betty sneaks a look behind her to see Jughead still munching on a pink cookie. He doesn’t show any indication of which he’d prefer. 

Archie starts taking out all of his matchbox cars, laying them out all over his floor. Jughead comes further into the room and sits off to the corner, staring at his feet while Archie rambles on about the different colors and how all the red ones roll the fastest. He hands a blue matchbox car to Jughead to play with, one he intently rolls back and forth on the ground in front of him. 

Betty waits a little bit before going over to sit about a foot away from Jughead, placing Evangeline in the space between them. Pulling his hat down, seemingly trying to make it look like he wasn’t watching Betty’s movements, Jughead’s eyes meet hers and then dart back to his shoes. 

“You know, when I’m nervous, I hold Evie close and she helps me feel better. If you hold her, she might make you feel better too.”

Jughead stays frozen in his spot for a moment, then letting out a small breath, he slowly grabs the pink elephant and holds it close to him. His nose nuzzles the well loved toy’s head. Lifting his head, Jughead gives Betty the smallest of smiles. “She smells like vanilla.”

Beaming at him, she nods her head enthusiastically. “My mommy put some vanilla oil on it because the smell reminds me of home and it makes me feel better when I get nervous.”

Continuing to smell the stuffed elephant, Jughead turns his body towards Betty. “Do you get nervous a lot?”

Betty nods her head, mirroring his position, making their feet touch. “Yeah. I don’t like to be alone, and Evie helps.”

“Me too.” Jughead trails his finger over the elephant’s soft texture, his focus taken away from Betty momentarily. “What’s your favorite color?” His eyes meet hers again, flicking from her face and back to the stuffed animal in his arms. 

“I like pink! That’s why my elephant’s that color! What’s yours?” Betty’s hands are clasped in front of her, eyes wide at everything she’s learning about her new best friend.

“I like blue and orange.” His cheeks look a little pink as he says it. 

“Those are great colors!” This earns her a full grin from Jughead, his blue eyes looking brighter. Betty decides she likes his face, it’s kind. “What’s your favorite thing that’s blue?”

He looks taken aback by the question, and thinks for a moment before a grin splits his face. “The cookies you brought!”

Betty giggles. “Those are my favorite cookies too.”

They sit in silence for a bit, both looking at their toes touching. Smiling to herself, Betty taps his foot lightly, and melts into a giggle when he looks up at her. Her laugh brings another smile to his mouth and he nudges her back. Their laughter draws Archie’s attention, who scoots over to join them. 

Jughead ducks his head into Evangeline and looks at his feet once again. 

“We were just talking about our favorite colors, Arch!” Turning her head towards Jughead again, she says, “Archie likes red. Just like his hair!”

Jughead lifts his head again, keeping careful eyes on Betty. 

Betty props her chin in her hands, leaning her elbows on her bent knees. “Did Archie tell you we’ve been friends our whole lives?” 

Jughead nods. 

Lifting her right arm, she shows Jughead her mark and then smacks Archie’s arm to get him to show his as well. “We have puzzle pieces on different wrists. That means we’re best friends!”

Jughead’s eyes widen and he slowly moves his left arm from around the stuffed elephant to look at his own wrist. 

Looking at his wrist as well, Betty sees a blank puzzle piece. ““Look! Our puzzle pieces are on opposite wrists, too! That means we’re meant to be best friends, just like me and Archie!”

Archie whoops for joy. “Our marks are on the same wrist. We must really be brothers!”

Jughead doesn’t say anything, but he looks the most relaxed he has since Betty got to the Andrews’. She smiles.

****

As Betty leaves, Jughead’s still holding onto her elephant. Once Betty hugs Archie goodbye, Jughead moves to hand Evangeline back to her. Betty shakes her head and lightly pushes Evangeline back into his arms. “You should keep her for a few nights. She’s a really great sleeping buddy.”

Before he can protest, Betty’s skipping out the door, holding onto her mom’s hand for the walk back to their house. 

****

Two days later, Betty runs over to the Andrews’ with a wrapped box for Jughead in her hands. When he opens it, there’s a blue stuffed giraffe that looks very much like Evangeline in the box. Jughead’s eyes are glued to the giraffe, like if he looks away from it, the stuffed animal will disappear. 

“I got you your own friend to help you when you get nervous! I kinda need Evie back, but I didn’t want you to be alone either.” Betty’s hands are folded in front of her, shoulders raised as she rocks back and forth on her feet. 

Jughead sniffs the top of his giraffe’s head and immediately his shoulders relax and Betty knows he can smell the vanilla oil she put there. His bottom lip begins to tremble and he hides his face in the giraffe. Betty begins to worry that she’s upset him, but without warning, Jughead throws his arms around Betty, and whispers, “Thank you.”

That was the first hug Betty Cooper ever got from Jughead Jones. It might be her favorite one ever.

****

At age seven, Betty sits on Archie’s traffic rug in his room, pink marker in hand and little tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth while concentrating on the task at hand. Archie sits in front of her with his legs crossed, a giant goofy smile plastered on his face and red hair sticking up in all directions. They had run all the way home from school after Archie passed his final reading test, ensuring that he would move to 3rd grade with Betty. 

His arm grasped in her small hand, she draws a little flower in his blank puzzle piece soulmark. She’s careful to stay in the lines, wanting to make it look as real as his parent’s marks. Once she finishes they hold their wrists next to each other. Archie beams up at her, making the small smile grow to take up her entire face, showcasing her missing front tooth.

Jughead walks into the room, box of Cheez-Its in hand, looking at them quizzically.

Betty’s the first to thrust her arm towards him to show off her new artwork. “Look Juggie! Archie and I drew soulmarks, we’re soulmates!” 

Still looking very confused, a few crumbs falling from Jughead’s mouth, his face screws up as he looks slowly between both of their faces and then their wrists. 

Archie finally jumps into the conversation and tells him, “Betty helped me pass my reading test so I can go to 3rd grade with you guys! I asked her to marry me!” He blinks up at Jughead, looking very proud of himself. 

In true Archie fashion, his explanation doesn’t actually clear anything up, so Betty takes over once again. “I told Archie we can’t get married because we’re so little,  _ but _ he’s gonna ask me again when we’re eighteen! For now, we drew in soulmarks so that everyone will know we’re gonna be together forever and ever! Isn’t that  _ so  _ romantic?”

Jughead just looks disgusted now and clutches his box of crackers closer to him, slumping into his blue bean-bag chair. “That’s gross. I don’t think I’ll ever get married. Girls are kind of… icky.” His eyes dart to Betty’s and widen as he quickly rushes out, “Except for you, Betty, you’re the only girl that’s okay. You don’t really count as a girl, though.”

Archie hands Betty one of his cars and then starts to drive his around the rug, making engine noises. Betty feels honored at Jughead’s words, “Really? Is that why I’m okay to go to you and Archie’s ‘no girls allowed’ meetings?”

Shrugging, he shoves more crackers into his mouth. “Yeah, you don’t have cooties. You’re one of the boys.” Betty beams at his words and takes her car to race Archie. 

Betty loves her boys.

****

“Jug! Let’s go, Betty’s gonna be here any minute!” Archie yells from their bathroom, spitting toothpaste all over the sink with every word.

Jughead struggles with his shirt, poking his arms frantically through the holes but somehow getting his elbow stuck in the process, fabric stretched across his face. Moving around wildly trying to right himself, he hears crashing in the bathroom and then Archie’s footsteps stomping into the room. Archie grabs him, stopping his body from moving and shoves his shirt down, his head popping out the top. Archie grabs his arm, pulling it through. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! You know how Betty gets on Sports Day!”

Running out of the room, Jughead follows Archie down the hall, one shoe on and the other clutched tightly in his hand. He  _ does _ know how Betty gets on Sports Day, and it’s  _ terrifying _ .

Last year, Betty had picked him to be her partner for the day. He’d seen a totally different side of Betty that day, one that mankind should never witness. To say she gets competitive would be the biggest understatement in existence. They had ended the day with a trophy, but at the cost of Jughead in tears.

Needless to say, a week ago, when Betty asked if he wanted to be partners again, he had suggested she ask Archie, since Dilton Doiley had already asked him to be his partner. What he failed to tell Betty was that he had practically begged on his knees for Dilton to be his partner a month ago when the date was announced. 

Which brings them here, with Betty standing on their front steps, at exactly 7:34 with her hair in high pigtails with blue ribbons tied around the elastics. Her class spirit dominates her attire, from the blue tie-dyed t-shirt and matching knee socks to the blue sports paint smeared under her eyes. She’d tied up her sleeves like the girls on the soccer team they saw in the next grade up, the same ribbon that she’d used in her hair tugged into neat bows. Planned, coordinated, and engineered to strike fear into the hearts of any nine-year-old unfortunate enough to stand against her. 

Manic smile plastered across her face, her eyes glint with the promise of glory. “Are you ready to absolutely  _ dominate _ today, Andrews?” She flexes like a bodybuilder at least ten times her size. 

“Heck yeah!” Archie pumps his fist in the air, then throws his arm around her as they walk down the steps. Jughead tags slightly behind them, not wanting to get in the way of their game planning.  _ Gosh, I hope she stays away from me today, the need to win is just...so much.  _

They walk into their classroom, a sea of blue greeting them, electricity bouncing off the walls, Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” streaming through the speakers in their teacher’s attempt to hype up her class. 

Betty and Archie immediately start dancing, dragging Jughead with them, leaving no choice but to go with the path of least resistance. Their energy is contagious, though, and he actually enjoys the moments before they go outside.

Running up to the top of the hill behind the school, the whole class is screaming, rivaling the screams of warriors running into battle. Jughead’s near the back, not wanting to get in the way, but still very excited to start the activities planned for the day. Betty’s ahead of the charge, sneakers kicking up grass as she races up the hill.

“Let’s Get it Started” by the Black Eyed Peas blares across the field; one of the PTA moms has set up a speaker to play music across the field throughout the day. Jughead’s attention is drawn back to Betty, running in place to the beat, determination written all over her features. She’s speaking to Archie, though he seems to be off in his own world, dancing to the music and waving his arms and hips wildly. 

Sitting away from them, Jughead clutches the grass beside him for dear life. He knows her aggression is going to start pouring out from every pore in her body in about ten seconds, and he’s bracing for impact. 

Sure enough, when the first activity is announced to be tug of war and he sees something animalistic flash in Betty’s eyes, a switch being flipped into monster mode.  _ God help us all. _

Immediately she runs to the back of the left side of the rope and grabs the loop at the end, barking out instructions to Archie. Jughead chooses to participate on the other team, tucking himself in the middle of his classmates so he’s neither responsible for their success nor their failure. 

When the whistle blows, all he can hear are Betty’s commands to her teammates, electing and establishing herself as team captain. No one in their right mind would go against her. She’s won every Sports Day trophy since kindergarten. Not to mention, she’s just straight up terrifying in this state. 

The first round doesn’t even last twenty seconds—Betty’s team dominates almost immediately. The boys around Jughead realize just what they’re up against and all eyes have narrowed in on the usually bubbly and sweet blonde. Her eyes stare right back, challenging all with fire. 

There are shouts and grunts on his side. Reggie says determinedly, “Not this time Cooper, I’m getting that stupid trophy!” 

Jughead’s grip tightens on the rope. As much as he doesn't want to deal with Reggie if he loses, the fallout would be tremendous if Betty Cooper lost. 

Betty’s paint has started to run down her face from sweat, her eyes focused on Reggie behind him, gaze passing right over Jughead. They battle it out twice more, his team losing dramatically each round. 

With a collective grunt from Betty’s team, the red marker crosses over the painted line in the grass for the final time. Jumping up immediately, Betty screeches in joy and Archie copies her. Without hesitation, Betty chest bumps an unsuspecting Archie, causing him to fall over onto the grass. Archie stares up at her in silence and Betty doesn’t move, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face, until Archie cracks up, Betty joining in. 

This continues on, Betty’s intensity concerning nearby teachers as they watch this tiny girl exude aggression they’ve only ever seen in major league rugby. Each round, Archie and Betty feed off of each other's energy, making other kids avoid them in fear of being body checked out of the way. 

Relay races are last, and Jughead makes sure to stand on the other side of where Betty plants herself. He wants her to do whatever she needs to do, but far away from him, where he can just run for fun and not for victory. 

He and Dilton are pretty good working together. Sure they might not be in first place, but they make a solid 5th place, definitely. There’s no fear being struck into him by the eyes of an incredibly intense green eyed girl, so he counts that as a win.

Glancing over, he sees a red-faced Archie sprinting towards a screaming Betty. When he gets to her, Archie dives, nearly hitting her face instead of her hand. He’s quick to jump up and egg her on, though, their energies feeding off one another. 

Next to them, Reggie screams at Chuck to run faster. “Do you really want to be beat by  _ Cooper _ ? A  _ girl? _ ” Chuck picks up the pace, but looks like he’s on the verge of passing out. 

Meeting back up with Reggie, he yells, “I don’t think she’s a girl.” He stares at Betty like she’s some kind of unidentifiable creature. 

Betty’s running at Olympic speeds, headed straight towards the finish line, eyes laser focused. He knows she’s unaware of anything but that end goal. 

Gasping, Jughead holds his breath. He feels like everything around them slows, only Betty and Reggie in focus. They’re coming up the finish line, neck and neck. He wants to look away, not wanting to see it if Betty loses, but he can't keep his eyes away.  _ Come on, Betty! Come on! _ His thoughts turn into words without his consent.  _ “ _ Let’s go Betty! Finish them! Finish them, Cooper!” With his hands cupped around his mouth, he stands, jumping in place with anxious energy. Dilton stands next to him, side eyeing him and slowly moving away. 

With a final burst of energy, Betty sprints past Reggie and crosses the finish line. Their entire class erupts into hoots and hollers. Archie runs up to her and tackles her in a hug. Knowing the competitions are over and it’s finally safe to be within five feet of Betty again, he runs over and bear-hugs his two victoriously sweaty friends. 

****

On the way home, Betty and Archie hold the trophy in between them, swinging it back and forth. Betty’s pigtails are crooked, her socks covered in grass stains and her war paint almost completely worn off. Archie’s hair sticks up in a million directions, and he has a new rip in his shorts. Their victory was not won without casualties.

“You know, Jug, you could’ve been the one holding this trophy with me if you hadn’t told Dilton you’d be his partner.” Betty nudges his shoulder as they walk. 

Shrugging, he looks over at her, smile creeping to his face. “That’s okay, Betty, I think I’m better off being your cheerleader than your partner. Archie can handle the pressure much better.”

Betty looks at him confused. “What pressure? It’s just a game, Juggie, all for fun.” 

Sharing a look with Archie, they both burst out laughing. 

“What?” she squeaks, looking offended.

Archie lets go of the trophy and slings his arm over her shoulder. “You take this more seriously than anyone else. Your exact words to me this morning were, ‘Are you ready to absolutely  _ dominate _ today, Andrews?’” His imitation of her is spot on and Jughead has to stop walking, he’s laughing so hard. 

“I don’t sound like that!” Her ears are red now, nose scrunched like it is whenever she gets mad at them. 

“You so do.” 

They all continue to bicker with each other as they clamber into the Andrews’ kitchen on the search for snacks. They all stop in their tracks when they see Mary and Fred, a piece of paper held in front of them. 

Archie speaks first. “What’s up?”

Fred and Mary look at one another before they smile, and turn to Jughead. 

His heart stops beating, not wanting to believe that they’re holding the thing that he so desperately wants, too afraid it won’t be. He’s wanted it for as long as he’s known the Andrewses. He can’t get his hopes up.

Kids like him don’t get that lucky. 

“So, this came in the mail today.” Mary hands him the paper, and he just stares at it for a moment. Everything disappears around him, and his mind fills with a million different thoughts, none of which are fully coherent. His eyes are stuck to the paper shaking in his hands. His stomach drops, and his shoulders are tense. 

Fred smiles at him, a look overwhelmingly filled with love. “Open it up, son.”

Jughead’s heart squeezes at the endearment. Flipping open the paper, his eyes scan the words, then again, and then once more just to make sure he’s read it correctly. 

_ You’re invited! _

_ Mr. Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, you are hereby cordially invited to appear before the court for your adoption proceedings into the Andrews family on July 14th, 2010. _

  
  


Letting go of a breath he feels as though he’s been holding for two years now, he collapses into Mary and Fred’s arms, his beanie slipping from his head. They squeeze him almost too tightly, and it’s the best feeling in the world. Clutching on to them, he doesn’t want to ask, but has to know for certain. “Is it really happening?” 

“Yes, sweetheart, we’re so excited for you to officially be an Andrews. That is, if you still want to be?” Mary murmurs, running her hands through his curls.

Tears now streaming down his face, he nods his head vigorously into their shirts. He’s completely overwhelmed.

“What’s going on?” Archie’s worried voice breaks through the moment.

Jughead separates himself from his soon-to-be parents and wipes at his eyes a little roughly. He opens his mouth to answer, but is overcome by emotion once again and can’t get out what he wants to say. 

Fred comes to his aid, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jughead’s going to be your brother officially, starting July 14th. How does that sound?”

Archie’s mouth drops open and tears spring to his eyes. Betty drops the trophy in her hand, letting it clatter to the ground. Both of her hands fly over her mouth, tears filling her eyes as well. For a moment they both just stare at Jughead. 

He wipes his eyes enough to see them clearly and smiles widely at them. Reflecting his smile, they race towards him, both enveloping him in a massive hug. All three kids melt to the ground laughing and crying, not realizing that the fear of losing Jughead had always been in the back of their minds. A fear that’s been wiped away with a single sheet of paper.

“This is the only trophy I need,” he whispers to his forever best friends. 

****

When Archie, Betty and Jughead are ten, they all sit at the Andrewses’ kitchen island slaving away at their many Shrinky Dinks on a Saturday morning. Betty has about six butterflies drawn out in front of her, planning on making a charm bracelet for Polly’s birthday. Jughead has a bunch of various foods sprawled out and intermingled with Archie’s sports-related doodles. The table is littered with scraps of Shrinky Dink paper, scissors and markers, the sort of chaos that would never be allowed in the Cooper household. The three of them had learned to keep their crafting to the Andrews house long ago. In fact, most of their time nowadays is spent at Jughead and Archie’s since Polly isn’t there to yell at them and they can be as loud as they want to be. 

The table wiggles slightly, since all three of them are swinging their legs from their chairs. They chatter over one another, the excitement of being together bubbling over into laughter. 

Mary comes up from the basement, giant box of ice cream cones in hand. Betty laughs when Jughead’s head immediately pops up from where he’s intently coloring in his burger, eyes immediately glued to the box. 

Noticing Jughead’s reaction, Mary also laughs and ruffles her son’s hair in passing. “You can have one after lunch, Jug, I’m just moving some of them into the freezer up here.”

A pout makes its way to Jughead’s lips as he picks up his brown marker once more, grumbling under his breath. 

After a few minutes of rustling around in the freezer, Mary turns towards the kids again. “Boys, I need one of you to bring the rest of these back downstairs please.” Jughead’s eyes widen and he goes to open his mouth, but Mary’s chuckles interrupts him. “No, you still can’t have one right now if you bring it down, Jug.”

Crossing his arms he continues to grumble. “But lunch is so far away!” His eyes look so sad, Betty actually feels bad for him. 

“I can do it, Miss Mary!” Betty offers, hopping up immediately, but Mary pulls the ice cream box out of her reach when Betty tries to take it from her. 

Smiling at her warmly, Mary says “Thank you, Betty. But one of my boys would be  _ more _ than happy to take it down.” Then with a pointed look at Archie and Jughead, she asks a little more sternly. “Wouldn’t they.”

“Yes Mom!” they chorus together, sitting up straighter. 

Mary sets the box on the table and then heads into the living room. As soon as she’s out of sight, the boys start bickering.

“I helped Mom last time! It’s your turn to bring it down,” Jughead says with a tense jaw.

Archie mirrors Jughead’s expression, brow furrowing in frustration. “Yeah, well, I cleaned up your mess in our room this morning. So you owe me.” 

“You mean my blue giraffe? Who fell off my bunk and I just hadn’t gotten up yet?” Jughead tilts his head slightly to make his point.

Archie’s eyes widen, seemingly scrambling for something else to say. 

Betty’s eyes flash back and forth between her two best friends, tension rising with every second. She tries to ease their quarrel, “Guys, just let me do it! I don’t mind, really!”

They both whip their head towards her. “No!” 

Betty jumps back a little at their intensity.  _ Gosh, boys are annoying. _

A wicked grin grows on Jughead’s face. “Actually, Betty, maybe you should go down. Archie’s afraid of the dark. That’s the only reason he won’t.” Challenge apparent in the way he’s staring down his brother.

Archie gapes at him, vigorously shaking his head. “Am not!”

Jughead’s standing now, arms braced on the table. “Then prove it.”

Running in between them, Betty goes to grab the box of ice cream but before she can, both boys slam their hands over the box. 

“This is between me and  _ my brother _ , Betty. Finish drawing your butterflies.” Archie spits out ‘my brother’ like it’s a curse.

Betty just rolls her eyes. “You guys are so dumb.” Taking her seat again, she sighs, saying more to herself than them, “Polly was right, boys really do mature slower.”

Archie takes the box, glaring at Jughead for as long as he can before disappearing from view. He’s gone for maybe two minutes.

A high-pitched scream is heard from the basement, followed by the freezer slamming and Archie’s footsteps flying up the stairs. Jughead and Betty get up from their seats to peer down the steps and see, through the dark, a very alarmed Archie, eyes wide like he’d just seen a ghost.

As he gets to the middle of the stairs, one of his feet gets caught on the previous step, launching his body towards the stairs in front of him. It’s almost as if the whole scene plays out in slow motion. Betty can see what happens right before it does, but there’s nothing she can do to stop the inevitable. Instead, her body cringes, hands coming to cover her mouth and her eyes scrunch shut. “Ohmigod,” she rushes out. 

Beside her, Jughead reaches out a hand like he thinks he can stop Archie from his doom. Shock and fear etched into every feature on his face. 

A tremendous crash echoes up the stairwell followed by a yelp. Everyone is silent for a moment, all with bated breaths waiting for a sign of anything. 

Archie looks up to them, tears silently streaming down his face, until Betty murmurs, “Oh Arch,” and the dam breaks, pained wails leaving his mouth. 

Jughead quickly hops down the few steps to comfort Archie, telling Betty to go get their mom.

After that, everything’s a hazy blur of comotion, Betty feels slightly helpless, not really knowing what to do. 

Mrs. Andrews rushes Archie off to the hospital after Betty and Jughead are settled at the Coopers’. 

Sitting on her bed, Betty offers a distressed Jughead her stuffed elephant. He looks at her through glossy eyes and gratefully takes the comfort from her. She scoots over so she can wrap him in a side hug. “It’s okay, Jug. He’ll be okay, it might be broken, but that’ll heal in no time!”

Sniffling beside her, Jughead sticks his nose into the elephant's head like he did the first day Betty met him.  _ I’m gonna have to wash that, he’s getting snot all over it.  _ She shudders slightly before bringing her attention back to Jughead. 

“If I hadn’t made fun of him, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt, I should have just brought the ice cream down.” His voice is muffled by the soft elephant stuffed in his face. “Do you—” Jughead’s voice cracks with emotion. “Do you think he’ll still…love me?” His face is completely hidden but Betty can feel the anxiety in his words. “Will he still want me to be his brother?”

“Oh, Juggie.” Hugging him tighter, her heart breaks for him. He’s told her very little about his time in the foster system before the Andrewses, but what she knows is horrible, and she never wants him to doubt that they all love him ever again. “Of course Archie will still love you, you’re the best brother he’s ever had. You didn’t even  _ do  _ anything. Plus, once Archie gets his new cast, he’ll forget all about how it happened.” 

Jughead still won’t look at her. His sniffles continue.

“He’ll probably get a bright blue or green cast. Think of all the attention he’s going to get at school. You know how much Archie loves attention.” Jughead lets out a little laugh at the last part.

He finally moves the elephant from his face, holding it in his right hand. Betty takes the opportunity to slip her hand into his, squeezing in reassurance. Seeing their puzzle pieces brush together, a smile comes to her lips at the thought of Archie and Jughead fighting over which one of them gets to hold the hand with her soulmark whenever they walk to school.  _ (“It’s a sign of best friendship, Betty!”)  _

Her boys always make her laugh.

“I have an idea of how to make him feel better later!” Jughead still looks kind of glum, so she keeps going. “How about we go downstairs and ask my mom to help us make some cookies for when he gets home? He can’t stay mad with cookies.” That gets her a small smile. 

By the time Archie’s back home a few hours later, they have a dozen cookies waiting for him. They would’ve had two dozen had Jughead not continued to eat the dough while they were putting it onto the sheet. Or if he hadn’t kept eating the cookies when they came out of the oven and both Betty and Mrs. Cooper’s backs were turned. Archie didn’t need to know that, though.

Alice brings Jughead and Betty back over to the Andrewses’, bringing over the lasagna she had made for the family. Running into the house, Betty and Jughead see Archie sitting on the couch with a massive smile on his face, crooked teeth that are still slightly too big for his face on full display. “Hi guys! Look how cool my cast is!” He waves his arm in front of his face enthusiastically. 

Betty bumps Jughead’s shoulder as they make their way over to the couch as a way of saying  _ See? I told you! _ She gets a smile from him in return. 

They listen to Archie with rapt attention as he recounts every detail of his epic and dangerous journey through the hospital. He blushes a hint when talking about the very nice nurse who held his hand to help with the pain. “The only thing I’m really bummed about is that we’re supposed to start football in gym class on Monday and now I can’t play.” A small pout falls over his face. 

Betty’s eyes shift to Jughead’s, and she can see the guilt wash over him, his shoulders slumping and eyebrows pinching up. Thinking quick, she pulls out what she brought over to cheer up Archie in hopes of doing some damage control. “Look Arch! I brought a surprise to hopefully make up for missing gym.” Pulling out a little glass bottle of green nail polish from her pocket, the color miraculously matching his cast perfectly. “We can all do it so we match!”

Both boys' eyes light up with her words. Archie’s the first to speak though, “That’s way cool, Betty! Can you paint mine first?”

Getting to work painting Archie’s nails and then Jughead’s meticulously, she only has to wipe a little off of Archie’s thumb because he started to squirm towards the end. The boys insist on painting hers for her, Archie paints her left hand and Jughead paints her right. 

Jughead laughs looking at the finished product of her hands. “It looks like you got into a fight with the Hulk, Betty. I think Archie got more paint on your skin than on your nails.”

Both hands were covered in nail polish all around her nails, but Jughead at least tried to stay within her nails. Archie obviously got bored after the second nail and so polish is  _ everywhere _ . 

They all giggle at Jughead’s comment, Archie shoving him off the couch in jest. Their commotion must alert the adults in the other room because Mary and Alice find their way into the living room to watch them. 

Alice is the first to say something about the nail polish. “That was a cute idea, Betty! You all look great.”

Mary nods her head in agreement. “Are you guys going to keep it on for Monday so you can show all of your friends?”

Betty smiles widely and nods her head enthusiastically, but her smile slips a bit when she looks at Jughead and Archie looking less sure.  _ They were so excited a minute ago, why aren’t they anymore? _

Both adults look at one another and seem to have a silent conversation, before Mary smiles at her sons and says, “You don’t have to keep it on, boys, it's fine to take it off. But make sure you’re taking it off because you don’t like it and for no other reason. Whatever you decide is okay.”

Betty stands, hands on her hips. “What do you even mean? You liked it two minutes ago! Why wouldn’t you wear it to school?” She’s squinting down at her two best friends unable to comprehend what the heck is going on in their brains.  _ Boys, man. _

They look at each other, eyes widening before they look back at Betty. Archie speaks first. “I mean, yeah Betty, it looks awesome, but a lot of the other kids might not think so. It’s…weird.”

“That’s just… that’s just… just really dumb!” Betty almost stomps her foot in frustration. Why should they change something they like because other people might not like it?

Alice comes over to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Betty.” Her tone is stern but calming. “They can make their own decisions.”

“I think it’s very cool, but if you want to take it off before school, that’s okay too. Whatever you’re comfortable with,” Mary says. 

Betty’s still frowning when her mom brings her home a few minutes later.

****

On the way to school on Monday, all of them holding hands with Betty in the middle, she notices that they both decided to keep their nail polish on. She smiles silently to herself, not wanting to bring attention to save them from embarrassment they might feel. She’s proud of them though. 

Once they get into the classroom, she notices that they both try to hide their hands from the eyes of others, she frowns. She sits next to Jughead, and he seems more relaxed once they begin working on their morning assignments together. Archie’s on the other side of the classroom and he seems to be trying to write without showing his nails.

At snack time, Archie asks Ethel to open his apple sauce. When he hands her the pouch, her gaze lands on his hands. Betty sees panic cross Archie’s face when he realizes that Ethel’s spotted his nails. 

Before he can see anything, Ethel points it out, “Woah! Archie, I love your nail polish! It’s super cool that it matches your cast.”

Archie seems surprised and then totally relaxes, his shoulders falling and an easy smile comes to his face. “Thanks! It was Betty’s idea, I think it’s really cool too! Juggie, Betty and I all match.”

They continue to talk about it, gathering more attention from their classmates. Everyone is in awe of the matching buddies and soon everyone wants to be a part of it.

The next day at recess, Betty sets up a spot underneath the slide with a little shelf which is usually used as base during their daily tag games. Today though, their class has designated it the ‘squad up’ station. There is a line of their classmates waiting to get their matching polish. The only person to make a fuss about the whole thing is Reggie, but he gets in on it as soon as Betty pulls out the black polish she had brought in just for him. 

The commotion gathers the attention of the recess monitors and they too want to join in on the fun. 

Betty and her boys have started a glamorous revolution. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Next chapter we are going to go into the logistics of soulmates and hints may or may not start appearing for our three friends. 
> 
> I'd love to know your thoughts, questions, and predictions!! Leave a comment if you'd like:)
> 
> Tumblr: ithoughtyoulikedreckless  
(Come say hi! I'm always excited to meet new people)


	2. just the way you are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I know this is long overdue, but I hope it was worth the wait! I hit a little bit of a writer's block and was hella stressed about getting things right. I decided to stop editing and just post it before I decided to hate it lol. 
> 
> This chapter gets more into the world and Betty begins to deal with her anxiety (if this is triggering for you, the last 2 sections don't really mention anxiety, so you can skip to those if you'd like!) The second scene starts “They’re not gonna give us, like, the talk, today, are they?”
> 
> Also, I fully had the old lady from Monster's Inc. in mind when writing Mrs. Grundy lol (I'm watching you Wazowski. Always watching.)
> 
> I hope you all like it! This story is very near and dear to my hear and I love writing it!  
-rachel

_ The age at which a person’s first image appears inside their puzzle piece varies. It coincides with when a person first enters into puberty. Females get their first images the day they get their first period. For males it’s a little trickier: it seems to coincide with their first voice crack. Our first image is a watercolor of our soulmate’s color aesthetic. _

_ -Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’ _

  
  


Jughead lies on his bed, feet dangling off the top bunk, his arms resting over his head. His family had just finished dinner, his dad having just left to take Archie to football practice. He’s already finished all his homework for the night, even reading a few chapters ahead in  _ The Lightning Thief _ , though his fifth grade teacher told him not to.  _ It’s just so good _ . 

He’s daydreaming about demigods and monsters and the mist when something outside caught his attention.

Peeking through his window, he sees Betty anxiously biting her lip and holding up one of the pages in her giant sketch pad, one that has a poorly drawn image of Rapunzel in her tower from Tangled. 

Last summer, he, Archie, and Betty had sat around an entire afternoon creating giant posters to hold up when they wanted to communicate through their windows. Archie and Jughead’s favorite sign was one with Cookie Monster proudly displayed in the center, demolishing about a half dozen cookies. This sign told Betty that cookies were needed immediately. Needless to say, this sign was used almost everyday and was the one that was most often ignored. 

Her Rapunzel sign meant  _ immediate  _ action. They had created the sign to signal when she felt stuck and needed to be very tactfully extracted from her house. Jughead’s heart starts pounding. He bolts upright and scoots off his bed, bypassing the ladder to get down. He falls to the ground with a grunt, but recovers quickly.  _ There’s no time for injuries, Jon—Andrews. The princess must be saved _ . His sandals are already by his bedroom door, so he slides them on, not pausing to take off his socks. 

Running down the hallway, he grabs onto the railing and slingshots himself around the corner and down the stairs, shaving off a few seconds from his time. He shoots through the kitchen, waving at his mom as he passes, half-shouting, “I’ll be back with Betty.” 

Running across their shared side lawn, the front of his sandal gets stuck on a chunk of slightly raised grass. He careens towards the ground before wildly waving his arms to rebalance himself. When he reaches the Cooper’s front door, he knocks without a second of hesitation. He collapses slightly, hands resting on his knees to gasp for enough breath in order to recite his lie to Mrs. Cooper, before the door opens. 

Jughead is greeted with a forced smile on Mrs. Cooper’s face and waves of tension rolling off of her when the door opens. “Oh.” She seems less than pleased to see that it’s Jughead at the door. “What can I do for you, Jughead?” Her words are deceptively sweet, but her tone gives away her impatience. 

“Um, good evening Mrs. Cooper. I’m so sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if Betty could come over and help me with a science project? I know she already finished hers and I just can’t seem to get mine right.” He can’t help but nervously shift from one foot to another under Mrs. Cooper’s intense stare. He wrings his hands behind his back, trying to hold strong.

Alice raises an eyebrow at him. “You  _ really  _ need Betty’s help? You can’t ask your brother to help you?” She pauses, taking in his appearance and zeroes in on his feet. “Where are your sneakers?”

Jughead squirms. “Oh… um… I melted them?” He swallows and he tries not to throw up. “Yeah, when I was trying to do the project, I um… accidently melted my shoes.” It takes everything in him to maintain eye contact.  _ Please don’t see right through me. Pleeease. _

Alice’s weight shifts to one hip and she crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You melted them?” she asks, her voice dripping with disbelief.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He sees Betty’s head peek out from where she’s been listening to their exchange from a safe distance. Her shoes are already on and she has a green folder clutched to her chest. 

Hal’s very agitated voice comes from somewhere in the house. “Just let her go, Alice, stop scaring the boy. Betty’s already finished her homework.”

Alice clenches her jaw, shooting daggers towards the sound of his voice. Thankfully, she opens the door more widely and steps back to let Betty pass, not sparing a second glance in Jughead’s direction. Betty jumps up from the stairs and runs towards him, grabbing his hands and tugging him off the front porch. Alice calls after them that Betty has to be back home by 8:30 before slamming the door shut.

They dash back across the yard and fall through the Andrews’ front door, laughter exploding from them. Mary welcomes Betty with a wave and an offer of snacks, but Betty politely declines, a sure sign something is wrong (who wouldn’t want food?). Jughead and Betty clamber up the stairs and into the boys’ shared room. He’s about to climb the ladder up to his bunk when Betty tugs on his hand, bringing him into a hug. Her grip is slightly too tight, and her face is buried in his shoulder.

“Thanks, Juggie,” she says softly.

He squeezes her back, deciding he’ll let her choose when she needs the hug to end. After a few moments, Betty pulls back and lets out a small sniffle, wiping her eyes. Jughead takes her hand and leads her over to the bunk bed. He makes his way up, Betty following close behind him. They situate themselves so they're both cross legged and facing one another, their knees touching. 

Jughead doesn't say anything, letting Betty start the conversation. He doesn’t want to outright ask her what’s wrong if she doesn’t want to talk about it. But he also doesn’t want to start talking about something else, making her feel bad about bringing up why she’s upset.

Betty butterflies her legs slightly for a few moments, her eyes staring intently at the dinosaur sheets on his bed. “I just don’t get it.” Her voice is barely audible and it quivers with emotion. “They’re so unhappy and… I don’t know why. I don’t know how to fix it.” 

Tears fall from her eyes once again. Her cheeks are flushed and her gaze darts across the bedspread and then to spots on the wall behind him. She won’t meet his eyes and her fingers twist a small piece of her hair rather violently.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, right?” he asks softly. She shakes her head. “Then it’s not your fault. Them being unhappy isn’t your fault.” he explains, knowing where her thoughts usually go when there’s unrest. “Your parents would tell you if they were upset with you.”

Betty finally looks up at him, all around her eyes are blotchy and her face is covered in tears. “But they  _ never _ actually tell me if something’s wrong. They just act angry until they aren’t anymore. I never know what the problem is.” 

Jughead grabs the hand not twisting her hair and squeezes it. “Betty, you’re the best. I’m sure you’re not the problem!”

Her gaze goes back to the bed and she mumbles, “Yeah, but I could be better.”

Jughead’s brain is trying to find anywhere that he thinks Betty could be better, but he comes out empty handed and looks at her, feeling baffled. Her shoulders are hunched and the pout on her lips is unbearably sad. He doesn’t know what else to say to make her feel better so he goes with plan B. “I think you’re wrong.” He says softly, and when she doesn’t respond he continues, “Do you wanna play Scrabble?” Words always make Betty happy.

She wipes at her eyes, and a smile peeks through her sadness. She nods her head and climbs down the ladder, heading to his closet to grab the game. Archie refuses to play with them anymore so they only get to play when he’s not around. Jughead will never tell Archie this, but he kinda likes having this with only Betty .

They play for a few hours, Betty’s mood improving drastically. Her eyes still don’t shine as bright as they usually do when she wins, but he’ll take her smile as a success. When it’s time for her to go back home, he walks her back to her porch, holding her hand like they used to when they were younger, swinging it between them slightly. Betty stands on the bottom step, making him slightly shorter than her. She leans down and gives him a hug, and he wraps his arms around her immediately. 

“Thanks Juggie. You’re the best friend a girl could want.” Betty holds on for a second longer and then lets go, hopping up the remaining steps and putting her hand on the doorknob. 

“Anytime, Betts! And hey, it’ll be okay, I promise,” he starts walking towards his house and calls over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow!” 

They wave at each other before she heads indoors. 

  
  
  


A few days have passed since Betty came over that night, seeming to be back to her old self. Jughead had told Archie about what happened once he got back from practice and they both decided to do as much as possible to make her smile. They’ve been poking fun at each other a little more in front of her, knowing how much it makes her laugh. Also, they’ve been leaving the coolest erasers on her desk. They  _ might _ have gotten yelled at for stealing them from other people’s desks, but it’s totally worth it. 

The three of them are walking to school, quizzing each other on the different cloud types and the water cycle. Every year, the fifth graders at Riverdale Elementary have a big science test on weather, and today’s the day. Each of their classes have been preparing all week and the three of them have been holding their own study sessions after school, all fueled with chocolate chip cookies and plenty of lemonade.

Before splitting off to go to their separate classrooms, they all high five and fist bump one another, hyping each other up. 

Jughead knows he and Betty will be fine, but he just hopes that Archie remembers that the clouds are named cumulus and cumulonimbus and not happy and sad clouds, respectively. 

  
  
  
  
  


A week later, the three of them are walking home from school, corrected weather tests in hand. Jughead got a 90, Archie… passed, and Betty had just quickly shown him her test so he thinks she got an 88. In a rare case, Jughead walks in the middle of Archie and Betty. Archie’s blabbering on about something that happened at recess. He expects Betty to wholeheartedly agree with Archie but she stays quiet, focusing on the cracks in the sidewalk. 

Before he can say anything, Archie interrupts himself. “Hey Betts, are you okay?”

Her head snaps up, and she shakes it slightly, seemingly trying to refocus. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Jughead’s eyes catch the twitch of her fingers curling and uncurling into her palm. They pulse a few times before her hands clench into tight fists. Her knuckles turn white. Jughead’s hand shoots out to touch her fist, hoping to stop the motion. She relaxes her hand at his touch and accepts his hand, gripping it uncomfortably tight. 

“What’s wrong, Betty?” Jughead gives her hand a slight shake, trying to get her attention. He checks her other hand to make sure it’s safe and sees that her test is crushed between her fingers, saving her palm. 

A dam seems to break and Betty’s face falls, words coming out in a rush like she can’t stop them even if she wanted to. “I studied really hard for this stupid test and I was supposed to get a really good grade so that my parents would be happy and now they won’t be happy and I don’t want to make them more upset and I just don’t understand why I didn’t get higher and I’m just so… ugh!” The arm not held in Jughead’s grip is flailing around and she’s looking up to the sky while she rambles on. “I got an 88! That’s  _ so _ bad! Now I have to tell them and I don’t want to and I tried really hard but apparently it wasn’t good enough.”

Jughead looks over at Archie as their best friend melts down in front of them. Archie’s eyes are wide and his eyebrows are furrowed; he looks utterly lost and worried, his eyes not leaving Betty. Neither of them know how to help her, because as far as they’re concerned, an 88 is pretty darn good. 

They’re nearing their houses now so Jughead slows, moving so he’s standing directly in front of Betty, Archie takes a spot right next to him. 

“Betts,” Jughead says. He fiddles with the straps on his backpack. “Do you wanna hang out at our house before you go home? You could tell Mom about the test first– you know, as a practice.”

Betty looks to the ground and blinks rapidly, her cheeks still red from her outburst. The test in her hand crinkles as her fists clench again. “No, I...thanks, Jug, but I don’t really want anyone else to know.”

Both the boys squeeze Betty tight and tell her to signal them if she needs anything. She gives them a tiny smile laced with anxiety before she turns toward her house.

  
  


Once the boys get in the door of their own house, Archie slings his backpack off his shoulder and lets it hit the floor with a dull thud and immediately makes a run for the bathroom. Mary sighs at the sight of the boys’ shoes and jackets strewn all over the kitchen floor, then notices the test in Jughead’s hand.

“Juggie, is that a test I see?”

Jughead holds up his test proudly for his mom to see, the 90 written and circled in purple ink, a smiling bumble bee sticker adorning the corner.

“Oh Jughead!” Mary wraps him up in a tight hug. “That’s so wonderful! I’m so proud of you.”

He hugs her back, a big smile plastered on his face. “Thanks, Mom.”

He pulls away from the hug, saying he needs to use the bathroom, hoping to catch Archie alone. Archie’s opening the door just as Jughead walks down the hall. 

“Hey, Arch? You know your test grade is good, right? Betty didn’t make you feel bad about what you got, did she?” he asks. 

Archie immediately shows forced nonchalance, waving his hand, dismissing Jughead’s words. His mouth is curled in a way that seems to say, ‘no big deal’ but the rigid way he’s holding his shoulders and the sad look in his eyes says something totally different. “Nah, I’m good, Jug.”

Jughead gives him a look which makes Archie immediately cave. 

“I know she didn’t mean it. I  _ know _ she didn’t, because it’s  _ Betty _ . It just hurt a little.” Archie says more to the floor than to Jughead. 

Jughead nods. “She’s got a lot happening in her brain right now, I don’t think she was able to think past her own grade. You know how proud she was of you when we were studying. I don’t think she meant to upset you.”

Archie picks his head up and gives his brother a small smile. “Yeah, thanks, bro.”

Throwing an arm around Archie’s shoulder, Jughead says. “You should go show Mom your test. I bet she’ll put it on the fridge!”

They make their way back to the kitchen and, sure enough, Mary is thrilled with both test scores. She finds a sticker to put on Archie’s test since he didn’t get one from the teacher and hangs up both tests with the boys’ special dinosaur magnets. 

Mary turns back to face her sons and gestures to the fridge. “Look at my smart boys! I’m so proud of both of you for studying so hard, and so will Dad when he sees your tests on the fridge when he gets home. How about we make some cupcakes to celebrate, yeah?”

Archie and Jughead chorus out yeses and fist bump each other. 

  
  
  
  


The bright sun shining through his and Archie’s blinds reminds Jughead that it’s Saturday. He’s going to talk to Steve later today like he does every other Saturday. He and Steve talk about all sorts of things, like his life before living with his family and any feelings he doesn’t really understand. Today though, Jughead wants to talk to him about Betty, because if anyone can help her, Steve can.

  
  
  
  


After his appointment, Jughead hops out of the car as soon as it stops and starts running towards Betty’s house while yelling over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go see Betty, Mom! I’ll be home soon.” 

He knocks on the door, excitement traveling through him at the giddiness of telling her everything he’s learned. His smile only grows when Betty opens the door rather than one of her parents. 

“Juggie!” He’s greeted with a smile that matches his own. “What’re you doing here? I thought I was coming over at five, did I get the time wrong?” Her eyebrows crease together a little in her confusion. 

He lets himself into the house, Betty closing the door behind him. 

“No you’re right, I just really wanted to talk to you.”

As they make their way up to her room, he asks. “Are your parents home?”

“Nope, Polly is though. She’s just in her room doing homework so she can hang out with her friends later. I finished already!” she explains as they make their way into her bedroom, both sitting on her rug, legs sprawled out and bumping against one another. 

“So I know you’ve been really nervous for the last little while.” He begins and she ducks her head, pink rising to her cheeks. “I wanted to help you so I talked to Steve since he always knows how to make me feel better.”

Her head snaps up, eyes wide in horror. 

Jughead moves to sit on his heels and puts his hands on her shoulders, “Don’t worry, I didn’t say who it was. Even if I did though, he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. You’re safe.” She nods and her body visibly relaxes. His voice becomes a little softer and he feels heat travel to his face. “I’d never do anything to hurt you, Betts.”

He looks at the grass stain on the knee of his jeans when Betty’s arms wrap tightly around him. “I know,” she whispers into his shoulder. After a moment, she pulls back from him, soft small on her lips and eyes inquisitive. “So, whatcha learn?” 

For the next hour, he tells her everything Steve had told him, going over the different coping mechanisms he was taught and running through them with her. First, they practice the easiest ones, striking a power pose and doing arm twists before going over the 54321 strategy. Finally, Jughead shows her one of the strategies he’s used before. 

“It’s called the ‘write it out, throw it out’. You take your favorite colored pen and a piece of paper and write down anything that’s making you unhappy or nervous. When you’re done, you rip it out, crumple it up and throw it away! It always helps me to think about getting rid of the bad feelings by actually throwing them away.” Jughead grabs paper from her closet and two pens from her desk before settling back in front of her. “You wanna try?”

Betty nods, grabbing the pink pen Jughead hands her. They both begin scribbling their worries down on a piece of paper. Betty ends up filling the whole sheet by the time they finish writing.

“Now’s the fun part!” he tells her with a smile. Jughead crumples up his paper, stands up and chucks it into the waste basket. “Ta-Da! Take that, worries!” 

Betty giggles and follows suit, chucking her paper in as well. “Yeah! Take that!”

Feeling suddenly shy, Jughead wrings his hands in front of him. “Did this help? Are you feeling better?”

Taking his hand, Betty leans close and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. He feels his entire face heat up. He can only imagine it looks about as red as Betty’s cheeks. 

“Thank you, Juggie. This helped a lot.”

Jughead looks at the ground, shoving his right foot into her carpet. “Anytime, Betts. I just wanted you to feel better.”

_________________

  
  


“They’re not gonna give us, like,  _ the talk,  _ today, are they?” Archie looks pale, as he turns around to look at Jughead and Betty. The three of them are walking to their next class.

Today is the first day of their second quarter of seventh grade, which means today is their first day of health class of the year. They won’t have P.E again until next quarter, making this Archie’s least favorite day, and Jughead’s favorite by far. 

“No, if you read the syllabus, it said that's the next unit. The first unit is on the Basics of Soulmarks,” Jughead tells him, already sounding annoyed with his brother. Archie in health class is a nightmare. He listens to about 50% of content in any class, but his hearing is exceptionally selective in Health since all of his football buddies are in the same period. Archie’s first time in the principal’s office was because of  _ the incident _ in their health class last year. 

Betty puts a hand on Jughead’s shoulder and gives him a look, telling him silently to be nice. “I’m pretty excited, to be honest. They don’t tell you nearly anything about soulmarks in the sixth grade curriculum.”

Once they get into the classroom, Betty takes a seat next to Jughead and sends Archie off to join his other friends with a wave. The two of them watch Reggie try to stick the eraser side of a pencil up his nose while Archie and Moose egg him on. Jughead turns to her, disappointment written all over his features. “Do you think I can pretend I’m not related to him? Just for this class?”

Betty laughs while setting up the space around her with her pencil case and notebooks. Archie’s been getting on his last nerve today and it’s definitely showing. “I don’t think that’s how that works. Come on, Jug. You have to admit, it’s a little funny.”

“Not you too! Is no one safe from the charms of the jocks?” Jughead sighs, his head falling to the desk with a thud.

“Stop being so dramatic. It’s just one class, you can put up with it for forty-five minutes.” Betty nudges his shoulder slightly. “Plus, Mrs. Grundy’s teaching this class, she’s not gonna put up with their crap.”

Mrs. Grundy is the oldest teacher at Riverdale Middle School. Some say she’s been teaching since the Ice Age. No one knows exactly how old she is, but many of the kid’s parents had her for health when they attended middle school and say she hasn’t changed much since then. Mrs. Grundy is without a doubt the most terrifying teacher that they have. She walks around with a sharpened pencil behind her ear. Rumor has it she’ll throw it at particularly badly misbehaving students, though no one has even been able to prove this. Luckily for Betty, Mrs. Grundy had liked Polly and, by extension, likes Betty. 

A gravely, raspy monotone voice comes from the door. “Good morning, class. All side conversations stop now. If you’d like to continue your conversation, feel free to do so in the Principal’s Office.” As Mrs. Grundy waddles to the front of the classroom, all chatter dies. It’s quiet enough in the classroom to hear a pin drop. Betty hears Jughead gulp next to her. “Lovely. When I call your name, say ‘here’. I’d like to get this done and over with.”

They get through attendance without any casualties, a first for this class, and Grundy hands out textbooks as she talks. “These will be yours for the rest of the quarter. There aren’t enough for all of you, so you’ll be sharing with the person you’re sitting next to. Whatever you do, don’t read page 169. If you do, I  _ will  _ find out and you won’t want to know what happens next.”

Jughead’s head snaps toward Betty, his eyes comically wide as he pushes the textbook as far away from him as possible and over to her side of the desk. Betty shakes her head at him, opening the front cover so she can put both their names in and the classroom number. 

Mrs. Grundy continues, passing out more materials and her gravely voice pierces through the silence. Once everyone has everything they need, she says, “Now put those away, you don't need them until the next unit. You’ll still need to bring them to every class even if we aren’t discussing the content, so I can be sure none of you have...carelessly misplaced your books.” The class gives a collective groan, which Grundy thankfully ignores. “What I’m giving to you now is what you’ll be studying for our first unit. You have a test next week so you better study this and know it like the back of your hands.”

Betty smiles at Mrs. Grundy when she is handed her pamphlet, trying to stay on her good side. The front says “Understanding Soulmates” and has two puzzle pieces on the front with question marks in the middle of them. She turns to Jug to see if he’s as excited as she is but he looks completely miffed. 

“A test?!  _ Next  _ week?” He mouths, eyebrows disappearing underneath his beanie. 

Betty grabs his hand and gives it two quick squeezes, a nonverbal confirmation they came up with last year that he’ll be fine and then goes back to flipping through her pamphlet. Littered inside are dozens of examples of various soulmarks. Betty greedily soaks in as much of the content as she can, a smile coming to her face as she imagines what her future mark might be. 

In a deadpan voice, Mrs. Grundy says, “Alright, buttercups, listen up. I’m going to run through all the information you need to know. You better start taking notes.” She stands at the front of the room once again, and gestures to the poster on the whiteboard. “Soulmates. You all have one. Every single one of you was born with a blank puzzle piece on your wrist.” She pauses, looking out into the class. “What is the first indicator of who your mate is?”

About half of the classes’ hands go up before Mrs. Grundy picks on Kevin Keller. “Your mark will be on the opposite hand of your soulmate. That way, when you hold hands your marks will touch.”

Mrs. Grundy nods. “Very good. There are no other indicators until a person goes through puberty.” The energy in the room becomes excruciatingly uncomfortable at her last words. A few of the boys laugh awkwardly. Mrs. Grundy stops and looks incredibly bored. “Really?” The laughter dies, a tense silence settling over everyone. 

“ _ Anyway _ . The first stage of your marks will be colors that show up as a watercolor image of colors that represent your mate will fill your puzzle piece. For females, their colors show up when they get their first period,” she drones on.

Betty looks at Jughead out of the corner of her eye. He’s staring intently at the drawing he’s doodling on the paper cover of his math book, face aflame. She feels her own cheeks flush and chews on the inside of her cheek, trying in vain to get her blush to stop spreading. 

Mrs. Grundy continues, “For males, it’s not quite as cut and dry, but it usually goes along with when their voice first cracks. Any questions so far?” She scans the classroom of students.

Betty takes the time to look around and everyone looks just about as uncomfortable as her and Jughead. Most eyes are trained on the desks in front of them. 

“Excellent. As you change and develop as a person, so will your mark.” 

Jughead nudges his math book towards Betty. He’s doodled Sonic the Hedgehog running across the front with a conversation bubble that says “Get me outta here!”. Betty hides her giggle behind her hand and takes his pen from him. She doodles next to his drawing, still listening to Mrs. Grundy talk.

“Examples of development include finding something new that you love, like a hobby or a new band you like to listen to. Developments in mental health, any emotional experiences you go through, like breakups or significant achievements, also change your marks. As you go through these changes, the image in your puzzle piece will start to become more clear. Lines, shapes and more opaque colors show up.”

Betty finishes her drawing of Wonder Woman in a power pose with a speech bubble reading “My notes will save us!”. She passes the book and pen back to him, picking up her own pen to scribble down as much as she can remember about what was said.

“Many artists have tried to capture the stages of development, both attempting to convey the emotion that goes along with each visual additon. A great example is Pablo Picasso. His art captures the confusion and frustration in the early stages, as well as the physical representation of the sporadic lines and shapes. Vincent Van Gough and Claude Monet capture the later stages with more definition of the final image.”

Jughead finishes his second drawing, a cartoonized Betty who’s wearing glasses and holding a notebook that says  _ Future President _ . Taking the pen from him once again, Betty smiles at him and then moves her arm to cover what she’s about to draw.

“Marks are unique to each individual. Soulmates will only have matching marks when it is time for them to be together. The themes of soulmate’s mark will be similar, but it is very hard to tell exactly who your mate is until you match.” Grundy pauses. “You don’t look like you’re understanding this. Questions?” she asks, sounding irritated at the thought.

The class is silent. 

Once Grundy moves on, Betty reveals her doodle to Jughead. She’s drawn him to look like the food critic in Ratatouille with a label that says  _ Future World’s Easiest Food Critic _ . She feels his body shake in silent laughter, smile evident in his eyes even though his hand is covering his mouth.

Grundy’s demeaning voice cuts through their fun. “Well, when you all do poorly on the exam next week don’t come crying to me about it.” She stares them down for another moment before continuing. “In cases where the bond between mates is particularly strong, they can feel when the other is hurting emotionally. This is extremely rare and usually only happens when soulmates have been connected to one another from a very early age.”

Reggie’s head snaps up from vandalizing his desk. “So if I get punched in the nuts, will my soulmate feel it?” Reggie sniggers, jostling Moose with his elbow. All the boys in the back laughing and hit their desks with their hands. 

Cheryl whips her head around from the desk in front of Reggie and snapss, “No, idiot, your soulmate will only feel your emotional reaction, and that’s  _ if _ you have a super strong bond. You don’t have to worry about that, though, since you’ll never have the emotional capacity to have that kind of connection with someone.” She turns back around, landing her point with a flip of her hair. Reggie is left gaping as his group of goons echo ‘burn’ at his expense.

“Damn,” Jughead mutters under his breath. Betty smacks his shoulder, out of fear that Grundy will hear him and send him to the principal. One Andrews sibling in the office is enough. Jughead holds his injured arm and looks at her with a shocked expression. “What was that for!?”

Betty’s back to taking notes, trying not to make a scene. “Language, Juggie.” 

“Sorry, Betts,” he mumbles.

Mrs. Grundy’s standing with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a scowl cemented on her features. “Don’t worry, I’ll wait.” 

The class lets out another collective groan.

  
  
  


After school, Betty works on homework for an hour before heading over to the Andrews’s to pick up Jughead so they can head to Pop’s to meet Archie for milkshakes. They’re on the sidewalk side-by-side. Betty watches Jughead’s hand run along the fences they pass, his fingers dipping into the grooves between fence posts. 

“Hey, did Arch ask you to get milkshakes today?” Betty asks, breaking the comfortable silence between them. 

Jughead looks at her slightly confused. “No? It’s tradition, we don’t really ask anymore.”

Betty’s skirt swishes around as she walks, a skip in her step. Jughead’s steps sync with hers, their converse hitting the pavement at the same time. 

“He asked me to go after lunch today. It was really odd. Reggie was like hovering behind him and Archie looked really uncomfortable about it.” 

Jughead just shrugs, kicking a stone out of his way. “I think he’s been knocked in the head with one too many footballs.”

“Juggie.” Betty tries to reprimand him, but her giggles win out and they both laugh at Archie’s expense. 

They continue to chatter on until they get closer to Pop’s. Betty walks slightly ahead of Jughead and speaks over her shoulder. “I invited Kevin, he’s gonna meet us here in a little bit.”

They make their way between the parked cars to get to the sidewalk. 

“Nifty,” he says, noncommittally.

Once in front of the building, Betty reaches for the door, opening it wide so that Jughead can step in before her. “Ladies first,” she teases, smiling brightly at him.

“Thank you, good sir.” Jughead gives her a little bow before walking into the building, which makes her laugh. 

They spot Archie in one of the middle booths. He looks up at them and tilts his head to the side, looking rather confused. As soon as Betty is close enough, he asks her, “Why’d you bring Jughead?”

Betty stops in front of the table and clasps her hands together in front of her. She glances at Jughead for clarification but he’s unhelpful with clearing any confusion because he’s glaring a hole through his brother’s head. She turns back to Archie, “Why wouldn’t I bring Jughead? It’s tradition, we all always get milkshakes on Wednesdays.” Her voice’s pitch raises as she expresses her confusion.

Archie’s standing now, and picks at his fingernails. “Yeah… but I just asked  _ you _ , today.” 

“Wait… Archie, did you ask her on  _ a date _ ?” Jughead inquires, eyebrow raised and a smirk growing on his face. Betty’s stomach drops.  _ Oh. Oh no.  _

Archie’s face instantly flushes, his blush traveling down his neck.

“Well this is awkward.” Jughead chuckles under his breath.  _ God, he’s so unhelpful sometimes. _ Betty shoves him.

“The guys kept making fun of me and since Moose asked Midge out and Reggie asked Josie, I thought I was supposed to ask you.” He won’t look at her, his gaze still focused intently on his hands.

“Yeah, great reason to ask her out, Archie.”

“Jug.” She gives him a hard stare before looking back at Archie. “Arch, that’s… sweet, but I really like having you as my best friend. I don’t want that to change. Okay?” She can feel her hands curl in. She flexes them once and then flattens her palms against the sides of her thighs.

“Yeah, me too” Archie slides back into the booth, his flush lessening as he grabs a menu from behind the napkin holder.

Betty slides in next to him and Jughead scoffs, mouth hanging open. She almost always sits next to Jughead so she can help him fend off Archie’s attempts to steal his fries. “That’s why you don’t make fun of your brother, meanie.” She sticks her tongue out at him.

The bell above the door rings, signaling Kevin’s entry into the diner. He spots them quickly and sits next to a pouting Jughead. “Hey guys!”

Betty looks over at Archie apologetically, “I really didn’t get that this was supposed to be a date, so I invited Kevin. Sorry, Arch.”

Archie throws an arm around her, squeezing her lightly. “Nah, you’re totally right. I was just doing what the guys told me to do.”

Jughead takes a fry from the basket already at the table and points it at Archie. “You should know never to do that, Arch, I thought we went over this.” He pops the fry in his mouth, grabbing another one.

“Yeah, whatever.” Archie takes his own fry, throwing it at Jughead’s forehead, who’s unphased and picks it up without hesitation, plopping it into his mouth.

Betty remembers what she had been thinking about after health class and excitedly putting both palms on the table in front of her, effectively getting the boys’ attention. “Okay, now that you’re all here, you wanna hear my new theory?”

Kevin leans his elbows on the table and puts his chin in his hands, saying “Always.”

Archie and Jughead nod, but aren’t nearly as enthusiastic since they’re preoccupied with kicking one another under the table. 

Mentally organizing her points, Betty passionately states her case, “Okay, this might sound crazy, but I’m  _ convinced  _ it’s true. I think that either one of the members from One Direction or one of the members from 5SOS is my soulmate.” Kevin’s mouth falls open and Jughead and Archie pause their shenanigans to stare at her like she has three heads. “Hear me out!’ she says quickly, putting her hands up to hold off their objections. “Harry, Louis, Luke  _ and _ Calum all have their marks on their left wrists. Plus! Harry’s and Luke’s colors match up with my favorite colors. I just don’t think it’s a coincidence.” She shrugs and crosses her arms in front of her chest.

“You’re absolutely right, Betty!” Kevin nods enthusiastically. “I mean, the facts are definitely there.” 

“Not that you’re wrong, because y’know, your argument is  _ very _ compelling.” Jughead’s tone is beyond sarcastic, which Betty doesn’t much appreciate. “But don’t you think they’re a little old for you?” 

Archie stares at his brother over the table, looking as if he loves the opportunity to defy him. “That’s dope, Betty. I totally see it.” Betty thinks their competitiveness is so unnecessary sometimes, but she appreciates the support whether it’s genuine or not.

Betty rolls her eyes at Jughead and tightens her ponytail. “You don’t get it, Juggie, they’re perfect and I love them. It’s meant to be.”

“Whatever you say, Betty.” Jughead turns his attention back to Archie’s bucket of fries that he’s now made his own.

Pop comes over to their table just then with four milkshakes. He gives each of them their favorite flavor and toppings: Jughead’s chocolate with peanut butter drizzle and brownie pieces on top of the whipped cream, Archie’s vanilla with extra cherries and whipped cream, and Kevin’s mint chocolate chip. Betty takes her black raspberry shake with rainbow sprinkles from him with a surprised smile, “We haven’t even ordered yet?”

“You kids have been coming in every Wednesday for shakes for the past two years, you think I need you to tell me your orders anymore?” he says with a wink and a soft jut to her chin. “Enjoy, kids.”

Before Betty even takes her first sip, Jughead’s already halfway through his and wearing a good portion of it on his face. Boy band soulmates or not, Betty couldn’t be happier about a future with her favorite boys.

  
  


___________________

_ (8th grade) _

Betty sits in her bathroom, curled up on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs which are pulled up to her chest. She clutches her abdomen and rests her head in between her knees, willing the Aleve she’s just taken to kick in and for the pain to go away. While scrolling through her Instagram feed, her phone underneath the triangle she’s created with her legs, Jughead’s face, pinched into a horrendously ugly expression, pops up on the screen indicating an incoming FaceTime call. 

She rolls her eyes before answering. Her boys really just can’t do anything without her. “What do you want, ‘drews?” 

“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine!” He lets out a laugh, his eyes sparkling with mirth before continuing. “It’s Saturday morning, why aren’t you outside with your bike? Archie and I have been waiting for like, ever. You going to grace us with your presence or what?” Jughead’s beaming at her through the screen, obviously enjoying poking fun at her. 

Out of the blue, Betty’s irritation melts away and heat floods her face, pressure building behind her eyes, threatening tears.  _ What the hell, why— _

  
  


Jughead’s smile falls from his lips and concern is written all over his features. “W-woah. Betts? Ahhh…. You...” he clears his throat, his voice coming out a little strained. “You good?” She can hear Archie in the background screaming and shouting, oblivious to any and all surroundings. 

Betty shakes her head, embarrassed. “I’m fine. I just… um… I don’t feel good.”  _ What’s happening? Where are all these garbage emotions coming from? There is  _ literally _ no reason.  _

Archie’s head pops into the screen, his big brown eyes wide and excited. “Hi Betty! You coming to hang out?” Archie makes a face at her through the screen. “Why’re you sitting like that?” Jughead’s concern is still evident as he pushes Archie out of the frame. The boys argue softly off screen, Betty getting a nice view of the sky. 

She thinks she can make out Jughead telling Archie to put their bikes back into their garage before his face pops back onto the screen. “We’re coming to see you. Be right there!”

Before Betty can protest, Jughead’s already hung up. All she can do now is try not to die from the inside out while they get here. Closing her eyes she thinks to herself,  _ I’ve had a good run. I can’t complain. It’s just a shame to go out in such a lackluster way.  _

Her internal monologue is interrupted by the two boys bursting into her room, swinging the door open so hard it hits the wall and bounces back, nearly hitting Archie in the face. Jughead pushes Archie into the room and walks past him. “You totally should’ve gotten hit, you deserve it.” 

Archie scrambles to catch up with Jughead, because god forbid one of them does something before the other. “What do you mean? What’d I do?” 

Apparently her neighbors have forgotten the reason they’re in her room, since they’ve yet to acknowledge her existence. Jughead’s laughing now, and shoves Archie’s shoulder with his own. “You exist.”

Mouth hanging open, Archie looks utterly offended. He blinks rapidly, like he does whenever he’s trying to come up with a comeback. Jughead leaves him in the middle of her room, trying desperately to come up with something to get back at his brother with. 

Sitting down next to Betty, Jughead bumps his shoulder against hers. “How you doin’, Coop?” Betty finally raises her head. His eyes are soft as they scan her face and body, trying to identify what’s wrong with her. 

“Absolutely abhorrent.” She groans and leans into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. 

She can feel his head turn, looking towards her as he lets out a frustrated groan. “Are you kidding me?”

Lifting her head to smile and stick her tongue out at him, “I’m winning, by the way. You’re still five vocab words behind me.”

“I’ll be nice because I know you’re miserable. But I  _ will  _ beat you this week.” Since the fifth grade, Jughead and Betty have had a competition with one another to see how many times they can use the words in their English vocab lists. Each word they use is a point, and whoever has the most points by the end of the week gets bragging rights and the box car trophy they created when they’d started the competition. A trophy which has sat on Betty’s shelf for the past four weeks. Archie participated in the first week but quickly got tired of their competition.

They both fall silent, not quite sure what to say to one another. Betty knows she needs to tell them what happened, and there’s no reason to be nervous or embarrassed. It’s totally normal.  _ So why does it seem like the end of the world?  _

Archie finally comes into the bathroom, leaning against the entryway. “So, why are you here and why did we put our bikes away? Cause no offense, your room definitely isn’t as fun as Sweetwater River.”

Jughead glares at him and Archie shrugs his shoulders, mouthing “What?”

Letting out a long sigh, Betty leans over to Jughead, cupping a hand around his ear. “I got my period.” His body stiffens and he stares at her, blinking once and then again. Gears seem to be turning in his head, but just barely. She moves his head to the side so she can keep whispering to him. “Don’t… don’t make me say it again. You can tell Archie.” She lets out a choked chuckle. “I feel too weird to tell you both.” 

Jughead’s lips part and he stares at her blankly for a moment, but seems to remember himself and jumps up to tell Archie. He mimics Betty’s actions and whispers the new news into Archie’s ear. Archie turns a bright red to match his hair and his eyes shoot to the ground. Jughead’s shifting on his feet, arms crossing and then uncrossing again.

Feeling the heat creep from her face and down her neck, Betty can feel the pressure behind her eyes again. Except this time, a tear does slip from her eye.  _ Why can’t I just talk to them? Why do I feel so uncomfortable? _

The boys seem to be having a silent conversation full of hand gestures and quick glances towards her. Eventually they both take a seat on either side of her, placing a hand on both shoulders.

Jughead speaks first. “D-do you need anything for the… uh... pain?” Betty can tell he’s trying so hard not to be awkward. It’s not working though. His eyes can’t seem to stay in one place and she can feel how tacky his hands are.

Her attention is taken from Jughead when Archie clears his throat, his face now a normal color. “Mom told us about… um… y’know… everything.” His hands are gesturing vaguely in front of him. “She wanted us to _ \-  _ to be educated on stuff. So if you need _ — _ ”

“Anything! If you need anything, we’re here.” Jughead finishes his sentence, looking slightly more comfortable, and offering her a small smile. 

Betty’s eyes well up yet again, but this time out of love for her two incredible best friends. 

Archie must see her tears and slaps her shoulder, a little too roughly, and beams at her. “You have your first soulmate colors though, right? What are they?”

A gasp leaves her mouth, hand flying up to cover her mouth in excitement. Between all the panic, pain and embarrassment, Betty hadn’t even thought of her mark. Her head whips back and forth between each boy beside her. “I haven’t even looked yet!”

Archie and Jughead move so that they’re sitting on their heels in front of her. Archie’s already got his first colors. He got them during his first major growth spurt a month ago. Jughead has yet to get his, though with the amount he’s been eating recently, Betty’s heard Mary make comments to Fred about ‘any day now’.

A million thoughts swirl through her head:  _ Will I like the colors? Has my soulmate gotten my colors yet? Do I know them yet? Are they older? Will they like me? _

Nudging her foot, Jughead’s staring at her right wrist, which is held tight to her chest. “You ready?”

Betty looks at them both, smiling at her in encouragement and looking about as excited as she feels. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pulls her arm from her chest. Jughead and Archie ooo and awe in front of her. She takes another second before she looks. The puzzle piece is filled with black, blue and maroon. The colors bleed together, creating an intertwining of navy blues and deep plums. 

Eyes glued to her mark, Betty lifts her fingers from her left hand to graze the skin. In complete awe of the color’s vibrance. “Wow.” She breathes out.

Her heart flutters.  _ That’s her person. _

“That’s way cool, Betty!” Archie breaks her attention away from her mark. 

Jughead reaches a hand out and squeezes her ankle. “Congratulations, Betty,” he tells her softly. 

The three of them have soft smiles on their faces, sitting on her bathroom floor. Betty’s so glad that they were here with her when she got her first mark. This moment couldn’t have been more perfect.

They finally get up off the floor and decide to spend the day inside. The boys make a fort in front of her bed, using the extra sheets that are in the closet, her pillows and  _ all _ her stuffed animals. They insisted she sit on the bed and relax while they do the hard labor. She runs downstairs to grab her mom’s laptop, popcorn, some Twizzlers when the fort is finished. The three of them crawl in and don’t come back out for several hours. They watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and make it almost all the way through the first season before Archie declares he has to use the bathroom or else he’s gonna pee. 

The laughs and shenanigans that the boys provide distract Betty from the pain in her abdomen. The rest of the day is just as fun as any other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the middle school awkwardness wasn't too much lol I didn't realize how much of middle school I suppressed until I started writing those scenes. Hopefully I did the age group justice.  
The gang will be in high school next chapter!
> 
> I'd love to know your thoughts, questions, and predictions!! Leave a comment if you'd like:)
> 
> Tumblr: ithoughtyoulikedreckless  
(Come say hi! I'm always excited to meet new people)


	3. falling for ya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends!
> 
> One day I'll get a chapter update out sooner than a month later! I hope it's worth the wait though. 
> 
> Betty and Archie's characters in this fic remind me a lot of Rachel and Joey's relationship in 'friends' so I got major inspiration from one of their episodes for the first scene!
> 
> I'm not going to lie, I screamed and flipped off my computer a lot writing this chapter...but it's done! I finished!! It's also a lot longer than I intended so hopefully that's a good thing!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the shenanigans! See you on the other side
> 
> \- rachel

_ “As we grow older, we begin to have more and more experiences. As you mature and develop, so will your soulmark. With new feelings comes new shapes and lines to your mark. Watch carefully, you never know what moment will be a defining one. _ ”

\- Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’

  
  


“I just don’t know if I can do it, Betty!” Archie lies sprawled out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It’s Friday after school and Betty and Archie had just come home from cheer and football practice. Betty sits in his blue bean bag chair flipping through the book— _ Little Women _ by Louisa May Alcott—she has in her hand. Both their backpacks are lying haphazardly in the middle of his room next to a mixture of both dirty and clean clothing scattered around on the floor. 

“The language is really easy and I’ve read it a million times, so I can help you, no problem.” Archie groans and Betty continues. “Arch, you can’t just not do this book report. You still want to be the quarterback, don’t you?” 

Just then, Jughead makes his way into the room, immediately pinching up his face in disgust. “You guys couldn’t have showered first? It smells absolutely  _ ghastly  _ in here.” Archie lets out a groan from his spot on the bed at his brother’s presence. Jughead saunters over to Betty, plopping himself down on the side of the beanbag chair and throwing an arm over her shoulder. “That makes for point fifteen this week, I’m ahead by three,” he says, quieter, and more to her than to Archie.

“Sure, Jug, have a seat.” Betty rolls her eyes but moves over to make more room for him and throws her legs over his so they fit more comfortably in the chair. “And I’ll catch up, don’t worry. That trophy isn’t leaving my dresser.”

“I mean, come on, Betts, I expected this from Arch, but you?” Jughead says, ignoring her last statement in favor of crinkling up his nose at her and leaning away from her face. 

Betty swats at the side of his head. “I  _ will _ push you off,” she threatens. “And for your information, I showered at the school. All that stink is Red over there.” She gestures to Archie with one of her hands. Her hair is down and still damp, so she takes a strand and holds it up to his nose. “Smell.”

“Oooh, lemon! That’s different.” His eyes are wide and he smiles at her, nodding his approval.

“I’m too depressed to shower.” Archie says, voice dripping with self pity. 

“What happened this time? Did Ginger decide to go out with Reggie instead of you because she found out you took Vanessa on the date you were supposed to take her on last Friday after she cancelled?” Jughead chuckles, and he looks at Betty with exasperation written all over his face. Betty tries to hide her giggles in order to glare at him for teasing Archie. 

“No, smartass, Ginger was fine with it, we’re going out later tonight.” Archie finally sits up and looks at them. “It’s so much worse than girl problems. The worst possible thing that can happen, really.” 

Betty watches Jughead arch his eyebrow at his brother and then glance at her, looking very skeptical. 

“I have to read a book, bro. A whole ass book.” Archie flops back onto his bed, letting out a long and melodramatic groan.

“Oh, the horrors!” Jughead brings his hands up and shakes them a bit. “Imagine reading words on a page. Your poor brain, how on earth is it going to handle that sort of strain? What kind of maniac would ever do that sort of thing?” Jughead looks over at Betty. “Betts, can you think of anyone crazy enough to succumb to that sort of torture willingly?”

Betty covers her mouth with her hand, trying to cover her smile for Archie’s sake. “You’re lookin’ at her.”

“You’re kidding! That’s crazy.” Jughead’s words are dripping with sarcasm and as soon as he’s done, a pair of balled up socks flies across the room from Archie’s bed and bounces off of his head with a solid  _ thwack _ .

“Shut  _ up _ , dude.” Archie sounds downright grumpy now. 

“Okay, boys, relax.” Betty touches Jughead’s hand, the one that’s hanging off her shoulder, to stop him from saying something to irritate Archie even more. “Arch, why don’t you go grab a snack?” When he doesn’t move an inch, she tries again. “I’m kinda hungry, Cheryl was relentless during practice today.” There’s no way her golden retriever best friend isn’t going to make sure she has everything she needs.

Archie rolls his body off his bed before standing up, posture slumped as he walks out the door without another word, only a labored sigh. 

Betty turns her body towards Jughead even more. Her legs curl slightly so her knees are near his chest and she bumps him with them. “You need to be nicer to him.”

“Oh come on, Betty!” Jughead’s jaw drops and he looks at her with wide eyes. “I can’t just not make fun of him, he’s such an easy target.” He’s looking at her like he’s a puppy she’s just kicked.

Rolling her eyes at him, she takes his beanie off his head to put on her own and crosses her arms in front of her, arranging an angry pout on her face. “Archie, some of us are less athletically inclined than others,” she says with a slightly croaky tone, lower than her usual voice. “You shouldn’t make fun of someone when they're at such a disadvantage, it’s just rude,” she mimics. 

Jughead swipes his beanie back from her, placing it on his head with a defeated pout on his mouth and slightly red tinged ears.

“You didn’t like when he made fun of you in gym class because you couldn’t make it out of ‘skill city’ during volleyball, so don’t make fun of him for something  _ he’s  _ not naturally good at.” She gives him a pointed stare.

“I hate when you’re right. It’s infuriating.” He’s still pouting and she just laughs at him, putting her hand on his beanie and moving it around until he swats her hand away. “Stop it! I’ll push you off this bean bag and I won’t even feel bad about it.”

“I doubt that.” She shifts again, sitting up more so she can talk business. “Anyway, Archie just has a little problem, but it’s an easy fix as long as he cooperates.”

“Easier said than done, Coop.” He cocks his head at her.

Betty fills him in on Archie’s predicament, relating all the details she’s sure Archie ignored until literally thirty minutes ago. On Thursday, Archie’s coach had held him after practice to talk about bringing up his English grade. There’s a strict policy at Riverdale High that says athletes have to maintain at least a C- in all courses to stay on their team. Archie’s D+ in English is not looking so great for his freshman quarterback status. He had bemoaned about it to Betty as they walked home from practice that day, saying he thought the rule only applied to varsity teams. And, of course, Betty had answered with her usual, “Oh, Arch.”

Mr. Struder, his teacher, told him today that he needed to complete a book report on a classic novel of his choice in two weeks to raise his grade. And that leaves them here.

“So, I told him to read  _ Little Women _ . It was written for young girls so the language is way easier than most classics, and I’ve read it countless times so I can help him with his report.”

“You really think he’s going to read that, Betts? I haven’t even read that one.” Jughead’s found a pen on the floor and has begun to click and unclick it while they’re talking.

Betty lets out a dissatisfied sigh. “Okay, oh wise one, what do you think he should read?” She raises an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t know.” He tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling in thought. “What about Crime and Punishment? It’s got murder in it, might keep him entertained.” He clicks the pen a few more times.

“You’re kidding, right?” She snatches the pen away from him and clicks it shut, tossing it away. He pouts at her for taking away his toy. 

“Okay, fine, so it might be a  _ little  _ long, but do you really think Archie’s going to read about a bunch of girls just hanging out?” 

Both of their arms are crossed and they are staring each other down, neither one wanting to be wrong.

“It’s  _ so _ much more than that. You should read it too so you’ll see just how utterly amazing it is.” Betty clasps her hands together in excitement at the thought. 

Archie makes his way back into the room with two bowls of cut up apples in hand. He leans down to hand Betty hers and she reaches out to grab his hand, bringing him closer so she can press a kiss to his cheek. 

“Thanks, Arch.”

“Don’t mention it.” Archie sits on the floor in front of Jughead and Betty and munches a little obnoxiously on his apple slices. 

“So, do you think you want to try Little Women? It might be your easiest choice.” Betty nibbles on the fruit in her hand, holding the bowl out to Jughead so they can share. “It’s not as bad as it sounds: There’s romance, tragedy, traveling, and fighting. Lots of drama too.”

“It doesn’t sound terrible.” 

“You’ve watched every Nicholas Sparks movie with me multiple times. You love romance! I think you’ll like it.” Betty entices. 

“I guess... you’ll help me with the book report, right?” He asks warily. 

“Of course.” Betty leans forward and squeezes his arm. “It’s going to be easy peasy.”

Jughead grabs the discarded book off the floor and flips through it. “I’ll read it too. Can’t have you reading something I haven’t.” Jughead chuckles. “Betty and I’ll make sure you stay the freshman quarterback if it’s the last thing we do.” 

“Thanks, guys.” He gets up from his spot on the floor, in much better spirits than when they first got home. “I’m gonna shower, I’ve got a date to get to. Later, nerds.” 

He tosses his hand up in a wave as he leaves the room. 

  
  
  
  
  


Betty lets herself into the Andrews’ house and perches on a stool at their kitchen island, waiting for the boys to come down so they can head to Dynamo Comics. Jughead has been talking about the new Avatar: The Last Airbender comics that’ve been released and Betty wants to skim through their record selection.

“Good morning, Betty.” Fred makes his way into the kitchen, putting his empty coffee mug in the sink. He turns back around and gives her a warm smile. “They’ll be down soon. One of these days my boys will have enough sense not to keep you waiting.”

“Oh! I don’t mind.” Betty crosses one of her legs over the other and rests her chin in her hand, arm against the counter. “It gives me something to hold over them.”

“Thatta girl.” Fred winks and they continue making a few minutes of small talk before Jughead makes his way down the stairs and drags her out the door, shouting a goodbye to his dad.

“Where’s Arch?” Betty asks as they make their way down the sidewalk. Jughead’s wearing his army green converse today, which match the flannel around his waist. She’s sure he didn’t notice or he would have changed. 

“Reading. He did tell me to stop you from buying anything though.” Jughead bumps her shoulder with his as they walk. “Apparently the last time you two went without me, your buyer’s remorse was so bad, even Archie felt stressed about your purchase.” 

“Wow, I’m proud of him! I don’t think he’s ever done school work on a Saturday without being forced to.” Betty fiddles with the end of one of her two french braids. “And I wasn’t  _ that  _ bad,” she mumbles, knowing full well she was, actually, that bad.

Jughead looks at her, unconvinced, and continues their conversation about Archie. “I guess the threat of no football is hitting harder than we thought.”

Betty hums in response, nodding in agreement. 

“How’d his date go last night?” Betty and Jughead had met up to go to a movie with Kevin and they had gotten home before Archie. Her mom had made her come home after the movie so they could have some “quality family time”, which included the longest two hours of tense board game playing in history before her dad had had enough and shut himself up in the basement. 

  
  


“He said it was fun.” Jughead shrugged. “Though nothing was said about a second date. Girls love Archie and Archie loves girls so he’ll probably move on to someone else.”

Betty chuckles, thinking back on all the Vixen practices where her teammates drooled over Archie while he was running around the field. 

“Oh, it’ll definitely be someone new next time. He’s still got at least six freshman Vixens he hasn’t asked out yet.” 

“Geez, Arch.” Jughead lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “Yet no one hates him? Like, he doesn’t even get labelled a fuckboy.”

Their hands brush together as they walk but neither one of them acknowledges it. 

“All the girls say he’s a perfect gentleman.” Betty shrugs. “He’s just got a lot of love to give, I guess.” She chuckles and rolls her eyes fondly.

“We’re so different, you’d think I was adopted.” Jughead’s found a stick along the way and is sporadically hitting rocks across the road with it as they talk.

Betty laughs and shoves him into a bush along the sidewalk right before they come up to a crosswalk. He falls with an “oomf” and she continues to cross the street, laughing the whole way and looking behind her as he struggles to get out. The only thing she can see of his body are his lanky legs sticking out of the greenery. 

“Betty!” he screeches from his spot in the bush. 

Finally righting himself, he scrambles after Betty. A smile is plastered to her face when she turns around and sees that he’s catching up to her. She starts to jog away from him but he’s too fast and catches her around the waist, spinning her around. They both dissolve into hearty belly laughter.

“I’m going to get you back for that,” Jughead says once her feet are back on the ground and his arm is thrown over her shoulders. They continue to the comic store. 

“Yeah, yeah. You always say that.” She pinches his side playfully, knowing that’s where he’s ticklish, and he leans away from her, slapping her hand away. “But it hasn’t happened yet.”

  
  
  
  
  


Betty and Kevin sit outside for their lunch period, picking a table in the sun rather than under the tree so they don’t get pooped on by the caterpillars. Whoever said fall was the best season was a liar. Archie and Jughead also have fourth period lunch, but they’re held up at the lunch line. 

“I don’t know, Betty, I thought high school guys would be better than middle school, but so far they’re  _ so  _ much worse.” Kevin angrily stabs at his salad. “They certainly don’t smell better.”

Betty laughs and rubs his arm, pouting her bottom lip out at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Kev. At least some of the football players are fun to look at from a safe distance?” she says, always one to look on the bright side.

“You’re right.” Kevin pauses his salad stabbing for a moment to look over at the table where the senior varsity players were sitting. “At least I can objectify the seniors since none of them actually know I exist. It’s a fairly safe passtime.” 

“There you go!” she exclaims. “Plus, you don’t really want a Riverdale boy, do you? Most of them suck.” 

“Ugh, certainly not in the long run but I can have fun and forget until college, where I’ll meet the  _ real  _ men.” Kevine shoves a forkful of lettuce into his mouth, immediately making a face of disgust. 

Betty laughs, and stirs some granola into her yogurt. “An excellent point, Kev.”

Archie comes barreling towards their tables, shouting as he runs through the courtyard and getting half of the student body’s attention as he does so. “Betty! Betty, Betty, Betty! Betty!” Getting to the table, he throws his lunch tray down, making his Snapple tip over and roll off the table.

“Archie! Archie, Archie, Archie!” she echoes back to him, amusement clear in her tone.

“That book? So good. I just read the part where Amy burns Jo’s manuscript and then Amy fell through the ice and Jo and Laurie had to save her. Bro, that was  _ crazy _ .” He takes a seat after grabbing his fallen drink and wiggles a little on the bench.

Jughead comes up behind him and takes a place next to Archie, holding up a bag of goldfish. “You dropped these in your rush to get over here. I’m gonna eat them.”

  
  


Archie just nods in acceptance and turns back to Betty. “You have to tell me Jo and Laurie end up together, right? They’re so perfect for one another.”

Jughead scoffs next to him but says nothing as he takes a giant bite of his hamburger.

“I’m not spoiling anything!” Betty says, though she really wishes she could. “Who’s your favorite sister?”

“Listen,” he rests his elbows on the table, putting his chin on his fist, getting comfortable. “Jo’s amazing, but I feel like she’s everyone’s fave. I think I’m gonna have to go with Beth. She really keeps the family together, y’know. She’s a good egg.”

Jughead makes a choking noise and starts to cough rather aggressively.

“You okay, Juggie?” Betty starts to get up but Jughead waves her off, chugging some water. 

“I’m good, food just went down the wrong pipe.” His face is a little red from the coughing spell but he recovers quickly. “ _ Anyway _ , I finished the book.” He shares a meaningful look with Betty to which she widens her eyes and he does the same. The message is clear _ : Archie’s in for the surprise of his life. _ They nod and he continues, “You know, Betts, I don’t really get why you love this book so much.”

“What do you  _ mean _ ?” she says, though she might have shrieked, but who’s to know, really? “What’s not to like? You’ve got Teddy Laurence, the actual love of my life, and Jo, who’s the most kick butt person  _ ever _ . Also a bunch of other stuff that I won’t say in favor of no spoilers.”

“I mean yeah, the characters were great! But…” He pauses, almost like he’s considering how much he wants to shatter Betty’s heart. She can take it, she’s a big girl.  _ Maybe _ . “It was everything else. I felt like I was constantly being preached at and don't even get me started on the gender roles being forced down your throat through Meg’s storyline.” He opens up the goldfish and reaches his hand in the bag, finishing his short rant, but his eyes light up again and takes his hand out to point at Betty. Because of course he wasn’t finished. “Oh!  _ Oh _ . Could Alcott have glorified supposedly righteous poverty any more? I don’t think so.”

“Huh, I guess you get different things out of it when you’re twelve.” Betty shrugs. “I don’t remember any of that. I do know Alcott hated writing it though, so that all makes sense in context.”

Archie’s halfway through his sandwich and gazing off, eyes focused on something across the courtyard. 

Betty turns back to Jughead, bracing herself mentally for the crushing fact that one of her best friends might not love something as much as she does. She’s prepared to be crushed. 

Is she dramatic? Not at all. 

“So... did you like it at all?” The pitch in her voice rises through the question.

“Oh yeah, it was good, a little slow, but I did enjoy the majority of the female characters. Most of the men were pretty garbage. But I can understand that if mixed with nostalgia, it could be a favorite.”

“I’ll take it.” She lets out a sigh and continues to talk to Archie about his favorite parts, loving how excited he is about it. Jughead occasionally cuts in to add a sarcastic comment or interject his opinion.

As they all get up to dispose of their trash and head to their next class, Jughead gets in one more jest before dipping into his Biology class. “Hey Arch, if you were to be one of the sisters, I think you’d be Amy, since you’re such a pain in the ass.” Jughead maneuvers expertly in order to avoid the punch Archie aims at his shoulder, but in doing so crashes into one of the closed doors at the entrance of the hallway. 

Kevin doubles over in laughter and Betty high fives Archie. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


A few days later, Betty’s lying on her bed scrolling through Instagram when she hears Fred’s truck roll into the driveway. The boys had gone to see the new Star Wars movie with their dad as a father-son bonding thing since the original movies had been some of Fred’s favorites growing up. They invited Betty but her mom hadn’t wanted her to go out on a school night so Archie and Jughead had told her they’d go with her again tomorrow.

Jumping off her bed, she slips on her flip flops and runs down the stairs, going fast enough that she can pretend she doesn’t hear her mom asking what she’s doing. Betty’s already asking how the movie was by the time she’s halfway across her yard.

“Yo!” Archie draws out the o with a giant smile on his face. “It was so good, dude.” 

Once she reaches them, Betty links one of her arms with Archie’s and encourages him to tell her everything, but also nothing, because there’s nothing Betty hates more than spoilers. 

Jughead and Archie interrupt one another as they try to tell her how great it was. Archie even acts out a few of the action scenes, using his mouth to make sound effects for his imaginary lightsaber. Jughead eventually joins in on the action-filled duel at Archie’s insistence. 

Looking up into the sky, Archie’s shoulders relax and he looks completely dazed and happy. “It was so great! Up until Han Solo died, that is.”

Jughead gasps.

Betty’s mouth falls open.

Archie’s entire body goes rigid and he slowly turns around, eyes wide and filled with terror. Instant remorse flickers across his features. 

“You did  _ not  _ just—” Betty’s at a loss for words. She sees red and in that moment she’s never wanted to hurt Archie Andrews more in her life.

“Betty—” Archie’s reaching towards her, trying and failing to do damage control. “I’m so—”

He doesn’t get to finish because Betty’s already enacting her plan of revenge. She stands up and clasps her hands together in faux enthusiasm. Plastering on the fakest of smiles she can muster, she asks in a sickly sweet tone, “Oh Archie! Have you gotten to the part where Beth tragically dies yet? It’s totally heartbreaking, doncha think?”

Jughead stands off to the side, mouth wide open, hand over his mouth and eyes rapidly moving between her and Archie.

Archie’s face immediately falls, his whole demeanor shifts and his eyes become vacant. He doesn’t move and Betty starts to feel the inevitable dread in the pit of her stomach, the one that always comes when she lashes out. As mad as she is, there’s no need for what she has just done.

“Arch—” she whispers.

He puts his hand up, cutting off anything she might have figured out to say, and turns towards his house, climbing the steps to go inside. 

Jughead and Betty wait a second before following him. They stare at one another, processing just how disastrously that had escalated. They head inside and hear Archie quietly close his bedroom door. 

“I think you broke him,” Jughead suggests while staring up the stairs and at the closed door. 

Betty makes her way up the stairs, Jughead right behind her, and knocks on the door. Jughead squishes himself up next to Betty. They both have their ears to the door. A sniffle is heard before Archie’s muted voice comes through the door. “Just leave me alone. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Maybe he should have read  _ Crime and Punishment _ .” Jughead straightens and steps away from the door, an amused smile on his lips.

Betty moves away from the door too, but she won’t look at Jughead, the guilt weighing in the pit of her stomach and eyes stinging. 

“Betts?”

“I feel  _ so _ bad.” She finally brings her eyes up to meet Jughead’s and his eyebrows turn up in sympathy.

He pulls her into a hug. “Aw Betts, he’ll get over it. It’s not like it was some big secret, the book’s been out for like a hundred years. And it’s not like what you did wasn’t fair,he’s just a very tender soul,” he adds with a soft chuckle. Betty nods into his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go eat a tub of frosting with some pretzels. It’s the only way to make you feel better.” He keeps one arm around her as they walk towards the stairs.

“But what about—” She gestures to Archie’s closed bedroom door.

Jughead waves her concern away. “He needs a moment, apparently.” He’s already at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her to join him. “We’ll bring him some in a bit.” 

Once she gets to the bottom of the stairs Jughead tugs lightly on her ponytail. “You two are such softies,” he says with a quiet chuckle. He takes her hand on the way over to the cabinet and squeezes twice, their special signal, before letting it go and replacing his hand with a tub of chocolate frosting.

  
  


…………………

  
  
  


Usually on Wednesdays after school, Jughead sits on the bleachers clacking away at his laptop and blocking out the world around him. This is something he’s exceptionally good at doing due to living with Archie, the loudest and most chaotic person to exist on planet Earth. But the weather is finally getting cold enough that his fingers are beginning to go numb if they are out of his jacket pockets for too long. So, he opts for closing his laptop to slide it into his bag and propping his feet up on the bleacher in front of him so he can people-watch. He tugs his beanie down further over his ears. He has fifteen more minutes until his friends’ practices end and they can all head to Pop’s for their weekly milkshakes. 

Scanning the field, he has to stop himself from actually rolling his eyes into the back of his head at the sight of Reggie Mantle running in front of the cheer squad and flashing finger guns at them. Archie comes up behind Reggie and smacks him in the head as he passes, which gets Reggie’s attention back into the game. Jughead chokes on a laugh.

He watches the Vixens for a while, immediately picking out Betty in the crowd of blue and yellow uniforms. She has a white long-sleeved shirt on under her uniform but he still worries she might be cold. Jughead’s pretty sure Archie feels no physical pain, so he’s fine in his short sleeves.

Betty (objectively, of course) looks amazing in her cheer uniform—especially in the skirt. His eyes fall to her legs.  _ Um. What?! _ Jughead shakes his head, feeling weird about that last thought. Betty sends over a small wave, which he returns immediately, but her attention’s taken once again by Cheryl’s demand to run the routine another time. Betty seems to move flawlessly, with a smile on her face the whole time. Jughead really doesn’t understand why everyone thinks Polly is the better cheerleader; sure she’s been doing it longer, but Betty’s really just a natural at it. 

Oddly enough, Jughead doesn’t actually hate going to Archie and Betty’s games. He goes with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper usually join them as well. It’s the one time they seem to be able to not hate each other for more than twenty minutes. Kevin always comes to sit with him, usually toting signs with Archie’s number and the most embarrassing photo they have of him (one where he may or may not be hanging, by his underwear, from the fence in their backyard) on them, finished off with a nice coat of glitter. They have a much nicer sign for Betty, but with just as much glitter.

Both practices are wrapping up now so Jughead collects his things and makes his way down the bleachers and towards Betty. As he gets to the bottom, he watches Trev Brown walk over to where Betty’s crouching next to her cheer bag. Jughead’s eyebrow furrows as he watches the interaction, taking note of two very unusual occurrences. One—Trev’s regularly calm demeanor is… not that. He’s fidgeting, his hands clasping and unclasping in front of him, gesturing much more than he would with his generally controlled mannerisms. Two— Betty’s blushing and looking at the ground. What could he be saying to make her  _ blush _ ? 

Jughead’s heart beat picks up and he feels an intense need to be doing… something. What that thing is, he has no idea, but it’s red and searing inside him. He suspects he’ll feel a deep disappointment later if he doesn’t do this  _ thing _ right now. 

His body feels stiff and he can’t seem to drag his eyes away from the scene, though he knows he’s intruding. 

Jughead watches as Trev walks away and Betty finishes zipping up her bag. His chest loosens just a bit. Walking towards her, Jughead can’t help but wonder what they were talking about, why she would blush.  _ Okay hold on, why does this matter? _ He should just ask Betty, it’s not like they keep anything from one another anyway. But she’ll also probably just bring it up. The need to  _ not  _ know what happened crashes into his brain just as quickly as the need to know had moments earlier. But again,  _ why the hell does it matter? _

“Hey Juggie!” Betty’s cheery voice cuts through his internal dialogue of disaster and alien emotions. “Oh, are you alright?” Her voice is softer and she grabs his elbow gently, giving a little squeeze.

Jughead snaps out of whatever little episode he was just having and smiles at her, taking her cheer bag from her arm. When he reaches forward, his sleeve lifts away from his wrist and he notices a new dark green line among the mint green, pastel pink, and yellow watercolors on his mark. He shelves his confusion at the new mark in the interest of focusing on Betty. She gives him the soft scolding look she does whenever he carries her bag, and starts walking towards the school. 

“Yeah, sorry,” he says. “Just thinking up a new story, got a little lost.”  _ Liar. _

“Tell me!”

He shakes his head and quirks his mouth up uncertainly. “It’s just the beginnings of an idea, nothing good yet. You’ll be the first to know when it’s a full blown idea, though.”

Jughead asks her about practice and lets her rant about Cheryl and all the high kicks she’s adding in. The longer she talks, the more worked up she becomes and the more her hands fly around. Her eyes sparkle and her face flickers through more expressions than most people can muster in a day, let alone a single conversation. Jughead can’t help the smile that comes so easily when she says, “And on top of that she wants to add pom-poms!” She grabs his arm and shakes it, “Pom-poms, Juggie!  _ Ridiculous _ .”

Once they get to the school, she runs inside and into the locker-room to change and then collect Archie. The three of them fill their walk to Pop’s with the particular horrors of high school that they had experienced that day.

The bell to Pop’s rings over their head as they walk in, all three of them waving and smiling at Pop as they make their way to their booth. Betty slides in first, then Jughead, and Archie sits across from them. Pop brings over two baskets of fries right away and Jughead slides one in front of him while Archie and Betty share the other.

“Yo Betts, nice hoodie,” Archie says through a mouth full of fries, raising his eyebrows at her and looking pointedly at the grey Under Armour sweatshirt she has on.

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t know I steal your clothes.” She gestures at him with the three fries in her hand. One of the fries falls but Jughead catches it before it can hit the table. 

“Okay, but why? You have your own hoodies.” Archie looks genuinely confused, which in turn confuses Jughead because  _ why wouldn’t you want Betty wearing your sweatshirt? _

“It’s just so much better when it’s not yours and it’s from the men’s section. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.” She shrugs and smirks at him from across the table.

“Weird, but okay. Just don’t get ketchup on it.” 

“So, uh.” Jughead tries to keep it nonchalant and seque the conversation to where his mind has been since  _ the conversation _ , but he knows he’s doing the exact opposite by the look Archie’s giving him. “I saw you were talking to Trev after practice?” 

“Oh! Yeah.” Betty’s cheeks turn the same shade of pink as they had on the football field, which makes his chest tighten and stomach erupt into butterflies, making a billion more unwanted questions pop into his head. _What in the world is that reaction? What is going on with him lately?_ Betty breaks him out of his reverie: “He uh… just had a question.” Tucking a few flyaways behind her ear, she ducks her head, hiding the small smile on her face.

A massive grin spreads across Archie’s face. “No way! Brown finally did it? He’s been asking about you for like a month now.”

“Really?” She seems genuinely shocked, which confuses the hell out of Jughead. Of course Trev would be interested in her, shouldn’t the entire male population at Riverdale High be?

“ _ Oh _ yeah, the guys kept giving him grief for it.” Archie leans back further into the booth, arm resting over the top of the seat. “Now that he’s asked you though, we should totally go on double dates! I can bring one of the Vixens and you can bring Trev, it’ll be great.”

Betty’s eyes widen and Jughead sees slight panic flash across her face. “Woah, let’s get through the one date first. He’s sweet, but I don’t know much about him other than the voice that comes through the headset when I pretend to be you on your video game nights. That and the fact that he’s on the freshman football team.”

“Yeah, Arch. Give it a rest, will ya?” Jughead’s hand drops to Betty’s knee under the table and squeezes twice before he takes it away again. Her shoulders lose their tension at the gesture and she glances at him gratefully. 

Archie raises his hands in front of him defensively. “Sorry for being optimistic.” 

When Pop comes over with their milkshakes, Archie and Betty smile at him in thanks while Jughead gives him a two finger salute.

Jughead turns to Betty, straw in his mouth. “So, have you decided what you’re doing for the date yet?” 

“We’re just coming here. It’s a safe option.” Her expression doesn’t give much away.

Jughead scoffs. “Safe maybe, but literally the  _ most  _ unoriginal.” This kid is bringing Betty on a date and the best he can come up with is Pop’s?  _ Pathetic _ .

“Hey!” Archie wails. “I go on all my first dates here.” 

“My point has been proven, ladies and gentlemen.” Jughead gives Archie a smug grin and sweeps his hands in front of him. 

Archie throws a handful of fries at him in retaliation and Betty snorts out a laugh.

  
  
  
  
  
  


A week later, Jughead’s trying his hardest to focus on color coding and labelling the paper plant cell in front of him for his biology class but his mind keeps swirling with thoughts of Betty.

He’s not really sure what’s going on, and what’s worse is he knows the way he’s feeling is entirely self-inflicted and has nothing to do with Betty. She hasn’t changed and is still the most wonderful best friend a guy could ask for, but he can’t for the life of him understand the new…  _ things _ he feels when he’s around her. They don’t make sense in the slightest. Take the other day for example, when she had tucked his curls under his beanie while they were studying so she could actually see his face, like she’s done a million times. This time, however, Jughead started having heart palpitations so bad he thought he was having a heart attack. When he asked Archie if he’d felt different around Betty, thinking it might just be a high school thing, he had said no like it was the simplest thing in the world. 

Jughead gives up on his homework and flops face first onto his bed, groaning into his pillow and wishing he could anywhere but in this traitorous body.

From his doorway, he hears someone slam open his door with little grace. Archie’s excited voice shouts right through any thoughts left in Jughead’s mind. “Guess what day it is!?”

“Um...Friday?” Jughead doesn’t bother lifting his face and speaks into his pillow.

Archie’s voice gets louder as he presumably makes his way further into the room. “Yes,” he drags the word, “but... bro, are you listening to One Direction?” 

Jughead had forgotten he’d been listening to music while doing his homework, and Betty had forgotten to log out of her Spotify account on his phone from the last time they had hung out. He’d just gone with it rather than sign back into his. But really, sue him, sometimes the lyrics of the british hellboys just really hit him in the feels.

“Yeah,” he states confidently, face still firmly lodged in his pillow. 

Archie shrugs. “Mad respect, bro.” They sit in silence for a moment before Archie seems to remember why he was here in the first place. “Oh! It’s also Betty’s-date-with-Trev day! 

“Okay?” Jughead drags his face from his pillow to arch an eyebrow at his brother.

“You know what we need to do, right Jug?” Archie’s hands are on his hips and the smile he always wears moments before chaos erupts comes to his face.

Archie doesn’t wait for Jughead to answer, which means they speak over one another at the same time.

“Be happy for her and let her enjoy her date.” Jughead lifts his body from his bed and drags a hand down his face.

“Put on disguises and spy on her date.” Archie throws his hands in the air to give his idea the pizazz he thinks it deserves. 

“What? That’s a horrible idea!” They both stare at each other with disgust and speak over each other again, this time saying the same thing.

Archie shakes his head and drags Jughead off his bed and into his own room down the hall. Rustling through his closet, he throws his football sweatshirt and a navy blue NYC baseball cap at Jughead. “Take your beanie off, it’s a dead giveaway. I’m gonna go get Dad’s ugly fishing hat.”

Archie runs out of the room and down the hall. Jughead stands in the middle of his brother’s room, holding the hat and sweatshirt. This is probably the worst idea they’ve had in the past three days. Betty’s going to kill them both in a slow and painful way if she finds out, probably death by spoons. But maybe she won’t, and, the more he thinks about it, it’s for her safety. He ignores the fact that he and Archie both know Trev well and think he’s great. For the time being, they don’t know anything about Trev and he’s a massive threat. For the time being, Jughead ignores every bit of rational thought and tugs off his beanie, throwing it on Archie’s bed. He wrestles his way into the football sweatshirt and secures the baseball cap on his head. He also steals a pair of athletic joggers from Archie. There’s no way Betty would know it’s him at first glance. He decides that all of the feelings he’s been having are just protectiveness over his best friend and this is the best way to deal with them.  _ Right?  _ Yes _ . Absolutely. _

When he and Archie make it to the diner, the latter is dressed in one of Jughead’s maroon flannels, their dad’s fishing hat, and a black pair of Jughead’s skinny jeans with combat boots. They both have sunglasses on and Archie found an old stick-on mustache in his closet to paste onto his upper lip. Their disguises are immaculate, if he does say so himself. 

They walk in closely behind another family, hoping not to be seen, and they pick a booth three away from where Betty and Trev are. They sit on the same side of the booth so that both have a clear view of Betty. 

She’s wearing an oversized cream sweater tucked into a denim skirt with a matching bow in her hair. Jughead’s gut clenches at the sight of Betty wearing his favorite outfit of hers.  _ Woah, since when do I have a favorite outfit Betty wears? _

Jughead grabs the menu from behind the ketchup and sets it up in front of his face. He grabs the other one and shoves it into Archie’s hands. 

“Okay, we can’t hear them from here, do you want to do a lap in, like, five minutes to get napkins or something? You know, real casual like.” Archie tries to whisper but it comes out sounding like a raspy scream. 

“Jesus, Arch, how have you not learned how to whisper yet?” Jughead peeks over the menu to see if Betty’s spotted them yet. He lets out a sigh of relief when he sees she’s still occupied in conversation.

“Sorry, sorry.” Archie lowers his voice more. It’s an improvement, but not by much.

“Yeah I think that’s a good idea though, just really check to make sure the perimeter is safe.” He keeps his eyes on Betty as he speaks. 

Betty must feel their eyes on her because she looks over with an absolutely murderous expression, jaw clenched and eyes shooting daggers at them. 

“Danger,  _ danger _ !” Archie’s full whisper shouting now and the panic is evident in his sporadic hand waves. “Abort mission, abort!”

Betty turns back to Trev with a sweet smile and places her hand briefly over his before getting up and making her way over with arms crossed over her chest.

“Too late for that, bud.”

Archie squeals and tries to duck under the booth while Jughead just holds the menu in front of his face, hoping the three seconds without eye contact will give him enough time to come up with a believable excuse as to why they’re here. Betty snatches the menu from him and tosses it on the table. Her hands fly to her hips and she looks absolutely livid. 

Jughead’s heart falls to the pit of his stomach, dread filling his body. “Hiya, Betts.” He gives her a guilty smirk and lifts his sunglasses.

“Cut the crap, Jughead.” She looks over at Archie and rolls her eyes. “Get out from under the booth, Archie, you don’t know what kind of germs are under there.”

Archie crawls back and looks just as sheepish as Jughead feels.

“You both look absolutely ridiculous.” Her voice lacks the usual warmth he so easily associates with Betty.

Jughead can’t bear to look at her and finds a nice ketchup stain on the table to stare at instead. 

“Archie, what the hell is this?” She finally takes a seat across from them and pokes at the stick-on patch of fuzz plastered to his face. “Is that from Ethel’s ninth birthday?” 

Jughead sees Archie slowly nod from the corner of his eye and then is shocked to hear laughter erupt from Betty. He looks up and feels a rush of relief to see the warmth back in her face and the playful annoyance she constantly showcases when with them. 

“You both are  _ so  _ ridiculous sometimes.” She shakes her head. “Did you really think just switching clothes would make you blend in? You realize I’m in both your rooms, like, everyday. I know what you own as well as I know what I own.” Rolling her eyes at them, she gets up again and starts walking back to her table with Trev but turns around to say, “Go home, I’ll come over after and tell you everything.” She doesn’t spare them a second look and Jughead thinks she mutters something along the lines of “weirdos” under breath.

“Guess that wasn’t our best idea, huh?” Archie’s taken the fishing hat off and is looking at it like it’s failed him. 

“Yeah,” Jughead shrugs, “Though I’m sure we’ll top it soon enough.” Jughead gets up and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Let’s go, Arch.” He tilts his head towards the door. 

Jughead ignores the urge to look back one more time and walks out the door with Archie. They let silence sit between them for a moment, feeling their shame before diving into a discussion of the newest video game they’ve started playing with the guys. Though occupied, Jughead’s thoughts keep going back to Betty, how long she’s going to stay with Trev, and what they might be talking about. 

  
  
  


…………….

  
  
  


“Okay, we only need 3 cups of flour.” Betty’s finger traces the words in her open cookbook as she reads the recipe for triple chunk chocolate chip cookies. She’s making Archie a batch as congratulations for being the only sophomore to get a spot on the varsity football team and actually play most games. Betty had enlisted Jughead’s help, but so far she thinks that might have been a mistake. “You think you can handle that while I start with the wet ingredients?” She turns her head to look at Jughead behind her. He’s leaning against the kitchen island, looking adorable in Polly’s ruffly floral apron with a handful of chocolate chips halfway to his mouth. Betty’s eyes widen and she motions at the offending hand. “Jug! I left the package unopened for  _ exactly  _ that reason _ . _ ” 

Jughead gives her a smirk before quickly shoving the chocolate into his mouth and garbling out an answer. “Of course I can handle the flour.” He pauses for a moment to swallow, takes the measuring cup she offers him, and settles next to her by the counter. “Didn’t you know I’m a master baker?” He opens the canister of sugar and goes to scoop when Betty gently pushes his hand to the next canister over, which holds the flour.

Betty rolls her eyes and hip checks him slightly to the right so she can reach the other bowl she had taken out earlier. While she’s invading his space, Jughead takes a bit of flour from the scoop he’s just taken and smooshes it onto her cheek. Betty lets out a gasp and glares at him, having to look up now that he’s had yet another growth spurt. His trouble-maker grin is plastered to his face and she can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. She grabs an egg off the counter and holds it up as a threat. “You better watch yourself, ‘drews.”

“You wouldn’t dare. A Cooper girl carelessly wasting food? It’s unheard of.” Jughead turns back to the bowl in front of him, dumping the first cup of flour in before filling up the measuring cup once again. He glances at her from the corner of his eye, mischief written all over his features.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Betty turns back to her bowl and cracks the egg with one hand and tosses the shell into the compost container near the sink. “Us Coopers love a cause, and putting a boy in his place is one of my favorites. So much good can come from it!” After cracking the final egg, Betty takes her hand and smears it across his cheek, leaving a trail of goo across his skin. “Plus, I’ve heard eggs are hydrating. Your skin could use the love.”

Jughead’s mouth curls up in disgust and his eyebrows are scrunched together. “Betty!” He whines. “That’s…  _ so _ gross!” All smugness is gone and he looks about three seconds away from totally freaking out. His eyes are scanning all over her face like he’s looking at someone he’s never seen before. He looks utterly betrayed. 

Betty gives him a satisfied smile and laughs at his expense. “Sorry Juggie, that’s what you get for messing with me in  _ my _ kitchen.” She does feel a little bad though, because he’s stunned in place, rendered useless by the evil egg. Grabbing a clean washcloth from the sink, she wets it with warm water and then returns back to him. She slaps the cloth to his face and scrubs the egg away. “There.” She raises up on her tiptoes and places a soft, quick kiss to his cheek. “All clean.” Heat unexpectedly rises to her cheeks and she swifty twists on the balls of her feet and heads to the sink, hoping he was still processing the egg so he wouldn't notice. Betty stays at the sink, running water over the cloth for longer than probably necessary, trying to will the blush away from her face. “Maybe now you’ll keep the ingredients to the bowl and not my face. Not so fun when you’re on the receiving end, huh?”

Jughead just grumbles behind her. “She asks me to help and how am I repaid? Freakin’ unborn chicken on my face.  _ Disgusting _ .”

Betty chuckles and moves back to stand next to him. She bumps his arm with her own, ducking her head to try and catch his eyes. His lips are still pouting and he looks grumpy, but his eyes are soft, so she knows he’s not really mad at her. “Still love me, Jug?” 

“Hmph.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Betty’s all done combining the wet ingredients by the time Jughead is done putting the flour in the bowl. He looks at her triumphantly and gestures proudly at the bowl. “Good! Do you want to do the baking soda and salt too?” 

Jughead nods. “You know, I’m starting to get the hang of this! I don’t think I even need your help on this part.” He laces his fingers together and dramatically cracks them while maintaining eye contact with Betty. He grabs the 1 cup measuring scoop with one hand and the salt with the other. 

Betty giggles. “Um, Jug?” 

He looks up at her, confusion etched across his face as to why she stopped him. 

“You might want to read the recipe first,” she shrugs and bites her lip to try and contain her smile. Jughead’s eyes follow the action, but it happens so fast Betty’s sure she imagined it. “Just a suggestion though, because after all, you’re the master baker.” 

Jughead rolls his eyes at her, grip tightening on the measuring cup. “Yeah, of course. I was just testing you. Y’know, to see if you were paying attention.” He flashes her a cheesy smile. “Oh, look at that.” He points at the cookbook. “Turns out you  _ don’t _ need as much salt as you do flour.”

“Crazy, right?” Betty takes the 1 cup scoop from him, still not completely trusting him not to use it, and tosses it into the sink with their piling dishes.

Betty takes her spot next to him again, back resting against the side of the counter and arms crossed over her chest while she supervises his work. Jughead successfully adds the salt and moves to add the baking soda but he picks up the baking powder instead. 

“Nope.” 

Jughead looks at her while moving to the next mason jar in the line on the counter, an eyebrow raised in question. 

“Nope,” she says, shaking her head.

Moving his hand to hover over the last jar, he wiggles his eyebrows at her. 

Betty laughs at his antics. “Yep.” She watches him pick up the jar and unscrew the cap. “Juggie, you know the jars have labels on them telling you exactly what they are, right?”

He finishes dumping the ingredients into the bowl and then screws the flower patterned cap back on, turning the jar around in his hand so he can see the white label. “Whose idea was it to get you a label maker?” Jughead lines up the jars to the back of the counter again before turning back to Betty, an eyebrow raised at her. “I’m surprised Archie and I haven’t gotten ‘property of Betty’ labels yet.”

“Marking ingredients is a perfectly practical use for the labels and exactly what they’re supposed to be used for!” Her hands are waving a little spastically in the direction of the jars. “If you knew how to read, you’d know what ingredients to use.” She smacks him on his chest with the back of her hand, eyes wide with annoyance. 

Jughead takes her wrist before the hand that had hit him falls back to her side and shakes it so her own hand is flopping at her in a mockery of her scolding. “I know how to read, Betts.” A huge goofy grin is plastered to his face. Betty’s stomach flutters (probably from annoyance).

“You coulda fooled me.” Betty grabs a spatula from the giant mason jar holding a bunch of other baking tools and hits his wrist with it. She giggles at his dramatic display of dropping her arm to clutch his own wrist to his chest, face pinched in mock pain. Wedging her body between his and the counter, she shoves him out of the way to get the bowl of dry ingredients and pours it into the wet ingredients she had already expertly whipped together. Betty turns to Jughead and offers him the spatula. “You wanna use your three braincells and fold the dough together?”

With his mouth falling open at her words, he grabs the spatula with some attitude and says, “How could you say that to me?” He begins to stir the dough, flinging most of the flour out of the bowl and onto the counter. “I thought we agreed I had at  _ least  _ five more brain cells than Archie?” 

Betty puts her hand on top of his, stopping his disaster of a method. She hesitates for a moment after, not knowing if she should be holding his hand like this.  _ Snap out of it, you’ve held his hand since you were both five.  _

_ So why does it feel different?  _

Betty shakes the thoughts from her head and decides to save Archie’s cookies from disaster. She begins to fold the dough together, hand still over his as she guides his movements. Nodding once he gets the hang of it, she lets go like his hand will burn her if she keeps it there for too long and starts to scoop the flour off of the counter to make herself busy. 

“That’d put me at least seven brain cells. Pretty impressive, if you ask me,” Jughead continues his rebuttal. 

“You’re ridiculous.” She grabs the bag of chocolate chips from off the kitchen island and starts to pour them into the bowl while he’s still folding. 

“Maybe, but it makes life a little more entertaining.”

Betty rolls her eyes fondly at him. They continue to work side by side, occasionally hip checking each other or shoving each other’s arms when they need to move around the counter. 

Once they have all the cookies scooped out onto the baking trays and two trays in the oven, Betty takes the spatula covered in leftover dough triumphantly from the bowl. “And now,” she says brightly, “we feast.” 

Before she even has the chance to bring the spatula close to her mouth, Jughead snatches it from her hand and runs to the other side of the island. “Sorry sunshine, this is mine. You put chicken guts on my face.” He looks at her with glee, a smile so big that it looks a little lopsided. 

Her heart blips. 

“No! You got it last time we did this!” she yelps. Betty runs around to his side of the island and uses her momentum to lunge at him, jumping and clinging to the side of his body. He lets out a disgruntled grunt at the unexpected attack and stretches his right arm out as far as he can in order to keep the prized cookie dough away from her. Betty wraps her legs around his waist, effectively pinning his left arm to his body with her own. She pushes his face and grabs for his right hand with her other arm. 

“Get off me, woman!” His words are muffled by the hand she has shoved in his face. “It’s mine!”

Betty only tries harder, one of her legs falling from around his waist and accidentally hitting the back of his knee on the way down. 

The next three seconds happen in slow motion. They are going down and it isn’t going to be pretty. 

Jughead stares at Betty in horror, and she feels a deep remorse in that moment. His body crumples to the floor, her careening down to the hardwood right with him. Jughead turns his body so he takes the brunt of the fall, somehow also getting his left arm free in order to wrap it around Betty. 

“Oomf.” They both grunt, hitting the ground. In the chaos, somehow cookie dough ends up all over Jughead’s face and the spatula flies halfway across the kitchen. Lying on the floor, one of his arms is draped over his face, the other one falling from its place at Betty’s waist. Betty feels giggles making their way through her and threatening to burst out of her mouth. She lifts his arm to gauge his reaction, fearing he doesn’t find the whole ordeal as funny as she does. Though, the moment their eyes meet, they both burst into laughter. They laugh until tears fall down their faces and they’re sprawled out on the floor next to one another, holding their stomachs. 

Once they catch their breaths, Jughead sits up. “After all that, neither one of us gets to eat the cookie dough. A damn shame.” His beanie is missing, having fallen off in the commotion and a few curls have fallen into his eyes. He blows the hair out of his face.

Betty follows his lead and sits on her heels, kneeling next to him so they're sitting at the same height. 

Jughead smiles softly at her. “You’ve got a few hairs going rogue.” One of his hands comes up to tuck a few stray strands behind her ear. His thumb skims her jaw as his hand pulls away. 

Butterflies erupt in her stomach and her cheeks go warm. Betty tries to restrain her growing smile and looks down at her lap before flicking her gaze back to his.

A softness has taken over his gaze and he’s looking at her like he has a dozen times before, but she’s only just beginning to figure out what it might mean.

“You know, I think you might have enough chocolate on your face for the both of us,” she whispers, moving closer to him. 

He gives her his half smirk that reveals the dimple on his left cheek. The smirk that she’s noticed is reserved for when they whisper comments to one another when they're with their friends or talking about things that only the two of them understand.  _ Her  _ secret smile. Betty’s heart warms at the thought of having part of him that’s just hers. Biting her lip, she tries desperately to contain the ebullient smile that wants to escape. His eyes follow the action, which makes her heart race.

“You want some?” His ears tinge pink, and she knows he isn’t just talking about chocolate.

Betty grabs the ruffles on the sides of the apron he’s still wearing and pulls him closer to her. Closing her eyes, she sends a silent plea to the universe that she hadn’t misread the situation and then a second later her lips are on his and her heart feels like it’s glowing. He responds after a second of hesitation, thumb coming up to gently graze her cheek. It’s sweet and quiet, much like Jughead himself. 

Pulling back, she keeps her grip in his apron and lets out a giggle at Jughead’s dopey expression. His eyes take a second longer to open and when they do, they are so full of tenderness she can’t look away. 

“Wow,” he breathes out. “I  _ really _ didn’t hate that.” Jughead’s hands cup the sides of her face and he’s bringing her closer to him again before she can think of a response. Their lips meet again and the only thing running through her mind is  _ I’m kissing my best friend, I’m kissing my best friend, I’m kissing my best friend. _

Betty’s hands slide up his chest and around his neck, bringing him closer still. Everything about him is soft: his lips, the flannel under her fingers, the way his thumb strokes along her jaw, tugging her ever slightly closer to him. Her lips part into a smile, breaking their kiss. She keeps her eyes closed until he bumps her nose with his own. 

The moment dissolves quickly when Jughead wrenches his hand from her face and desperately tries to cover his mouth in order to muffle a sneeze. He does a horrendous job and it echoes through the kitchen.

“I guess there was some leftover flour floating around. Sorry,” he says sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

“You’re lucky you’re so cute.” Betty laughs and swipes some dough off his face, and licks it off her finger. Teasing him, she scrunches her nose and says, “Rather inconsiderate of you to ruin our moment.” 

Jughead stands, offering his hand to Betty, and helps her up. He squeezes their conjoined hands. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to keep practicing until we get it right.”

Betty feels heat bloom across her cheeks for what feels like the millionth time. “You might be onto something.” She tugs on his hand, and reaches up on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on the apple of his cheek. 

Dropping Jughead’s hand, she goes over to the sink and grabs a wet washcloth to hand to him. Jughead unties the apron and sets it on the counter before taking the cloth. He runs it over his face, making his words muffled. “It’s a good thing that just happened. Who knows how much longer I would have brooded over hating Trev before figuring it out.” He seems to be talking more to himself than Betty. “Woah.” He takes the cloth from his face, and looks at Betty, eyes wide. “I’m  _ so _ relieved Archie didn’t feel the same way all those times. That would have been one hell of an awkward situation.”

Betty tilts her head to the side, and squints at him. “What on earth are you talking about?” 

Her words seem to knock him out of whatever trance he was in and he shakes his head, smiling at her. “Ah… nothing. Just rambling.” He hands her the washcloth, the arm of his flannel shifting and revealing his soulmark. 

“Jug, look.” Betty runs the pads of her fingers over his wrist and over the mark. There are clear outlines of two wobbly shapes within the edges of his puzzle piece. 

Jughead in turn takes her wrist into his hands, tracing his thumb over her mark. “You too,” he whispers. 

For a moment neither of them says anything, they just share a brilliant smile with one another.

Breaking their eye contact, Jughead sniffs the air, scrunching his nose. “Your cookies are burning, Coop.” 

Betty drops his wrist, crossing her arms over her chest and popping out a hip. “Shut up, no they aren’t!” Just then, her timer goes off and she gasps, eyes going wide as she rushes to check. Opening the oven door, she sighs in relief when smoke doesn’t pour out. Putting on oven mitts, she slides the pans out and pulls the door up with her foot, then pushes it shut with her hip.

Waiting for Jughead to finish setting up the cooling racks, she examines the cookies closely. “They aren’t  _ burnt _ . Just a little crispy.” 

“I’m distracting, I know. I’m just too gosh darn pretty,” Jughead pretends to flick his hair. “Maybe you should just stick to baking by yourself so I don’t ruin your masterpieces.”

She throws an oven mitt at him and it bounces off the side of his head quite nicely. “You’re really pushing it, buddy.”

Clutching his heart, Jughead sinks to his knees in peak dramatics. “Betty, you wound me. I can’t go back to the friend-zone. It’s a dark and vile place.” His face is etched in mock misery.

“I think I wanna take it all back.” Her actions contradict her words though and she steps closer to him, hand running through his curls and brushing them away from his face. He leans into her touch, closing his eyes briefly. He reminds her of a kitten for a moment and she has to hold her giggles back. “Maybe Trev’ll want to take me on a second date. I never did give him the chance.” She smiles at how quickly his eyes snap open.

“You wouldn’t dare.” His mouth hangs open, and she thinks she might see the slightest hint of panic flooding his eyes. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” She grabs one of his hands and pulls him up again. “I wouldn’t.” He comes willingly and wraps his arms securely around her waist, his palms flat on the small of her back, holding her to him. His nose is in her hair and she feels the slight pressure of a kiss to the top of her head. Betty’s arms snake under his own and clutch onto his shoulders, her face pressed into his chest. She takes a minute to memorize everything about this moment— the warm smell of the cookies in the air, the feeling of his body around hers, and the feeling of complete and utter peace that comes from a quiet mind. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatcha thing? Hopefully their first kiss was everything you wanted! Up next, they try to keep their relationship on the down low and fluffiness ensues...until it doesn't.
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments!! Much love to you all<3
> 
> Tumblr: ithoughtyoulikedreckless  
(Come say hi! I'm always excited to meet new people)


	4. girl almighty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my loves!!
> 
> I'm back! It took me a little bit to get here, but I'm here! Oh my goodness this chapter was so much fun to write. I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it. We see more of the friendship between the three musketeers as well as the development of Betty and Jughead's romantic relationship! We also get a better look into each of the character's heads.
> 
> There is mention of anxiety and self harm and a little bit of relationship angst towards the end of the chapter. If you'd like to avoid this section, it starts at "Betty thinks that maybe there should have been a period of time..." and ends at “Why do you think I started liking you in the first place?” 
> 
> I want to give a special shout out to my girls @writeraquamarinara and @bigdsgirl. The only reason this chapter is done is because Mari sprinted with me almost everyday and beta'd the crap out of this chapter. Heidi literally listened to my every concern and has been my soundboard for every and all ideas. I appreciate the two of you so much.
> 
> Without further adieu, please enjoy the following shenanigans:)
> 
> rachel

_ There are many factors that go into when final soulmate marks appear. There are only a few lucky people who know who their soulmate is upon first meeting. Some couples date for years before it’s revealed that they are soulmates.  _

\- Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’

  
  


“Mmmm, okay, okay,” Betty mumbles half-heartedly, still very distracted by Jughead’s lips only millimeters from hers, lingering after their last kiss. “I really have to go this time.” Her hand is covered by Jughead’s on the door handle. He has her pressed up against the door, trying to convince her to stay, her willingness to leave weakening with every second. 

“Or you could stay. Help me pack instead.” Jughead’s lips graze hers with every word, and his eyes are lidded, making his argument extremely convincing.

Betty and the boys are headed to Grandma and Grandpa Andrews’ lake house for the long weekend. It’s probably the last chance they’ll get to go up before the cold weather hits. They’re going to be there by themselves for most of the trip since Fred has business to deal with in the area, and Betty’s already promised Fred and Mary that she’ll make sure the boys are on their best behavior. The last time Archie and Jughead had gone up without her there was an incident involving a tubing raft, a raccoon, and sparklers, that doesn’t need reenacting. 

“We’d  _ really  _ blow our cover then,” she whispers back to him. 

They still haven’t told Archie about the shift in their relationship. They don’t know how he’s going to react to it and they really don’t want to make him feel left out. Archie’s a little sensitive and he’s also very… enthusiastic. For now, it’s better that  _ this _ is just between the two of them.

She contradicts her own words though and kisses him again, tracing her tongue against his bottom lip, a mistake really, if she wants to make curfew and avoid the wrath of her mother. Jughead lets out a quiet moan from the back of his throat, which is enough to make Betty say to hell with whatever consequences she might face when she gets home. 

A crash from upstairs brings her back from the haze she’s in and she puts a hand to Jughead’s chest, pushing him away gently. Jughead lets his hand fall from the doorknob but still brings his other hand from above her head to her waist. A pout has replaced his little smile and she really wants to kiss it off his face. 

“We’re leaving at five tomorrow, that’s only seven hours away,” she says, nudging his nose with her own.

Jughead groans, his head dropping back in agony. “I can’t believe my dad’s making us leave that early.”

“You can nap on the way there.” Betty’s arms are wrapped around his neck and she lightly scratches his shoulder in reassurance. 

Picking his head back up, he looks at her with a sly smile. “I  _ know  _ you’ve had everything packed since Wednesday, so you should  _ really  _ just stay and help me pack, no need for you to go home. You could sleep over.” Jughead’s arms tighten around her waist.

“We both know it wouldn’t be productive, and you have Archie to help!” She smiles brightly at him, knowing Archie is about as helpful as a hyper Vegas when packing. Jughead scoffs and playfully rolls his eyes at her. “And you know there’s no way my mom would let me stay the night and risk losing the opportunity to lecture me about safety for this weekend.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he mumbles. Jughead’s pout returns to his face and his eyes look so sad, it’s almost comical. 

“Sleep tight, Juggie.” Betty gives him a warm smile and gently strokes his face before turning out of his arms to open the door. She doesn’t make it very far before Jughead pulls her back into him by the back pockets of her jean shorts and wraps his arms around her. He presses a kiss to her cheek from behind and Betty has no choice but to lean into the affection, letting out a giggle.

“I  _ really _ gotta go.” Betty breaks away from his embrace and turns around to peck his lips one last time before bouncing down the steps. “See you in the morning.” 

She’s used to throwing ‘I love you’s onto the end of every goodbye, but those three words have a whole new meaning now. Of course she still loves him, but she’s not really sure  _ how  _ anymore. 

One thing she does know, though: if they don’t get a hold of themselves, Archie’s going to find out in no time.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next morning, Alice sends her off with a dozen blueberry muffins for the trip and a tight hug. “Have fun, honey. Call if you need anything, okay?”

Betty had said goodbye to her father last night so the rest of the family is still asleep. She can’t help but notice her mother’s unusual chipper attitude and her stomach drops at the thought. She pushes the feeling away, not wanting it to ruin the great weekend she’s about to have.

“Thanks, Mom.” Betty lugs her bag out the door and waves awkwardly with the weight of everything she has packed hanging off her arms.

She’s outside before either Jughead or Archie—which is no surprise—but Mr. Andrews is waiting by the truck, travel mug in hand. Her mom waves at him from their porch before shutting the door. 

“Morning, Mr. Andrews!” Betty says brightly. She has always loved mornings—everything smells fresher and the whole world is sleepy, it’s always a great reason to smile. 

“Hey there, Betty. All these years and the boys unfortunately still haven’t caught on to your morning cheer.” Fred chuckles softly while taking her bags from her arms and putting them into the back of the truck with the boys’ bags. As if on cue, the Andrews boys walk out of the house, glazed looks on their faces and both rubbing the sleep from their eyes. 

Neither one of them acknowledges Betty as they climb into the truck like zombies. Archie’s asleep in the front seat as soon as the car door is closed, and his snoring starts soon after. Betty slides in next to Jughead, the latter’s body flopping to the side, head in her lap before she has the chance to shut the door. 

“So sleepy.” He mumbles into her thigh. 

Betty goes to run her fingers through his hair but freezes, feeling Fred’s gaze watching them from outside the truck. She looks up and rolls her eyes at him, hoping he can’t see her blush through the tinted window.  _ Be casual, be casual, be casual. This is  _ normal _ . _ The boys have fallen asleep on Betty on multiple occasions. It’s become a running joke, one that carried into a Christmas present from Archie—a mug saying “World’s Best Pillow”. But Betty feels like with Jughead’s head in her lap, he may as well have held up a big sign saying “We’re dating! We made out in your kitchen last night!”

Fred seems unfazed though, only shaking his head from outside and opening the car door to buckle Jughead in, then going over to do the same for Archie. Once he’s situated in the driver’s seat and they’re pulling out of the driveway, Betty lets her fingers sink into Jughead’ hair. He makes soft little sounds in his sleep that remind her of a purring cat. She rests her head against the window and allows her own eyes to drift shut, the hum of the engine lulling her back to sleep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After a four hour drive and another hour of unpacking, Fred leaves the three of them for their weekend, but only after he gives them the usual ‘be safe and call me if you need anything’ speech. 

As soon as Fred’s out the door Archie’s shouting through the house. “Alright, let’s go, let’s go! The fish are ready and calling my name.” Archie’s bouncing around the kitchen, trying to get Jughead and Betty to move faster so they can get out on the lake. He hovers behind Betty, head over her shoulder as she finishes making a lunch they can bring out onto his grandfather’s pontoon boat. His breath feels like the embodiment of irritation crawling over her skin.

“Arch, why don’t you go see if Jug needs help setting up the living room?” She turns around and gives him a look, letting him know it’s not a request. “You’re only going to slow me down if you keep hovering.”

“Oh yeah, great idea, Betts!”

Per tradition, Jughead is setting up their blanket nest in the living room. Since the very first time the three of them were here, they’ve always camped out in the living room together. Archie swears the day they don’t sleep in the living room is the day their friendship dies, so instead of sleeping in the very expensive,  _ very  _ comfortable beds, they sleep on the hard floor.

Betty packs sandwiches, Cokes, carrot sticks, and hummus into a cooler along with various other snacks in a bag. 

Once they finally make it out of the house, Archie drives the boat into the middle of the lake, near one of the small islands of pine trees, and cuts the engine as Jughead throws the anchor overboard. Betty takes sunscreen out of her bag and wipes some across Archie’s nose so he doesn’t burn (like he always does). He scrunches his face up in annoyance but doesn’t fight her and finishes rubbing it in. 

Taking off his shirt, Archie haphazardly applies more sunscreen across his back and chest as he rambles on about his fishing technique. “I really don’t think you guys are gonna beat the number of fish I’m going to catch.” He shrugs, a smug expression on this face. “They’re just drawn to me.”

“I bet it’s because they see you as one of their own. You smell just like ‘em,” Jughead calls from the edge of the boat where he’s lying on his back in swim shorts, hands behind his head. He looks completely relaxed, worn out blue bucket hat perched over his eyes instead of his beanie.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bettty sees Archie push Jughead into the water without hesitation. A yelp and splash come from where Jughead had been. When she turns around and peers over the side of the boat, she’s staring down at a very unhappy-looking Jughead who’s spitting out water like a water fountain, his hat sagging over his head. 

“You know Jug, I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to fish.” Archie crosses his arms over his chest, looking very satisfied with himself. “You’ve got the spirit though.” 

Jughead takes off his wet hat and chucks it at his brother. “Go play with your worms, Archie.” He pushes off from the boat with his feet and floats on his back further into the lake. 

Taking the book Jughead had left on the seat, Betty puts it in one of the compartments near the steering wheel to keep it safe from the water. She sits where Jughead had been and watches him float around for a bit over the rim of her sunglasses. 

He beams up at her and swims closer to the boat again. “Are you losers going to join me?” Jughead pushes a splash towards the boat as he speaks. He’s phrasing the question for both of them, but it’s clearly directed at Betty. The sun makes his eyes impossibly blue and Betty can’t help but swoon a little. 

Archie’s boisterous voice breaks through her reverie. “I need to spend this time getting the fish to trust me. It’s all part of the process.” He continues, slightly under his breath. “Like a fish whisperer.”

Jughead barks out a laugh.

“Shut up, Jug! Trust the process.”

Betty has a brief moment of panic about Jughead seeing her in her swimsuit, but shakes it away. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before. She tosses off her self-cropped t-shirt and jean shorts, revealing her favorite blue daisy bikini. Jughead’s eyes are on her and he has a giddy expression on his face. A blush rises to Betty’s cheeks at his obvious admiration. Jumping in after him, she lands close enough to drag him under with her. Betty’s laughing when they both come up for air, but Jughead’s sputtering through the water in his mouth. 

“Oh, you’ll pay for that, Cooper.” 

With a big grin on her face, Betty frantically tries to swim away from him but Jughead’s too quick and wraps his hands around her ankles, dragging her towards him through the water. 

Betty struggles to get away, but his grip is too tight and so she gives in and moves to wrap her arms around his shoulders instead. “Unlikely,” she says with a smirk, moving the wet hair off his forehead with her thumb.

“We’ll see,” he says coyly. Jughead glances over her shoulder at Archie, who is still occupied with his fishing pole and bait, cursing like a sailor under his breath. Jughead leans his lips close to her ear, letting them brush against the tender skin. “You should know, you’re ridiculously beautiful and I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world.” He lowers his mouth to just below her ear and leaves a kiss, before he continues to whisper his appreciation. “Also, since we’re talking about it, you look absolutely incredible in this bathing suit.” His hands brush lightly against the skin at her waist under the water.

Betty can’t help the smile that comes to her face. “Oh yeah?” she says, hoping to sound a little cheeky but knowing she probably sounds totally flustered. “Is he looking?” she whispers, not sure she can hold back from kissing him for a second longer.

Jughead leans in, shaking his head as he moves to kiss her, their noses brushing together. Betty wraps her legs around his waist and takes his face in her hand, closing the rest of the space between them. With his arms tightening around her, she really hopes he remembers to keep kicking so they don’t drown. Her worries are brushed away when Jughead unexpectedly breaks their kiss and dunks her underwater without warning.

Betty flaps around for a moment before coming back up, choking on water. Jughead’s laughing like a maniac at her expense, his nose scrunched up and a smile stretched wide across his face. He’d be cute if she didn’t want to hit him.

“You should have seen your face!” he wheezes through his laughter.

“Archie, get your butt in here,” she yells over her shoulder. “Your brother needs to  _ drown _ .” Betty directs her words at Jughead, glaring at him, hoping he understands that murder’s on her mind.

Jughead’s laughter stops and, to her great enjoyment, fear flickers across his expression before he’s swimming away like a madman.

It takes Archie a little bit to get in, presumably making sure the boat is secured, but once he’s there, he attacks Jughead like it’s the last thing he’ll do. They spend the next half hour trying to drown one another before Archie gives up and heads back to his fish.

Betty joins him, if only to prove she can catch more fish than him. A little healthy competition is always fun. It's totally fine if he catches more than her, she’s been working on the idea of  _ casual _ competition. 

(He won’t, though.) 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


As the sun starts to set, Betty’s lounging on the back seat, feet resting in Jughead’s lap while he drives the boat in the direction of the house. 

“I just don’t get it! I’ve been preparing for this my entire  _ life _ !” Archie’s staring at the five-inch fish in his hands, looking extremely dejected. The sunburn on his face glows in the golden light of the falling sun, making Betty mentally remind herself to get the aloe from her bag for him once they make it back. 

“I’m sure it was just an off day for the fish, Arch. You’ll get ‘em tomorrow.” Betty pulls her hair from her ponytail, tilting her head back and letting the wind wave through her hair. 

“Then how did you catch  _ seven _ ?” Archie’s voice raises several octaves, his distress evident.

Betty shrugs. “Beginner’s luck?” 

“You’ve been fishing as long as I have! My dad taught you the same day he taught me!” Archie’s gesturing at her with the fish in his hand. “You know, I bet it was just the same fish that you kept catching. Why else would you keep throwing your fish back?”

Betty gets up and takes the poor fish from Archie’s hands, tossing it back into the lake. Archie screeches at her, looking sadly over the edge of the boat. “You’ve seen Finding Nemo just as many times as I have. Fish are friends, not food! I can’t eat the little guys once I’ve seen their squishy little faces.” She squishes her own cheeks, making her lips pucker to resemble a fish.

“Guys?” Jughead calls over to them, capturing their attention before Archie can throw Betty overboard along with his fish. “I hate to interrupt whatever it is that’s happening, but… I don’t know how to back the boat up to the dock.”

“Uh... I don’t know either, bro.” Archie looks at the steering wheel and then over at the dock with wide, round eyes.

Betty rolls her eyes and goes to stand next to Jughead. “You two are impossible. Move.” She shoves his shoulder lightly to get him to give up his seat.

Steering the boat back out into the lake a little, she turns the boat around and then seamlessly fits it into the spot before cutting the engine. She jumps up from the captain’s seat onto the dock, tying the boat down before the boys have the chance to help her.

“Who knew my girlfriend was such a skilled boatman?” He’s looking at her with a dopey expression that should be adorable, but she really just wants to strangle him.

Jutting her head in Archie’s direction, she widens her eyes, hoping he’ll pick up what she’s putting down. He stares at her in confusion for a moment before realization dawns across his face and he freezes, closing his eyes in defeat. 

Unphased, Archie looks at Betty in wonderment. “Seriously Betty, how are you so much better at all of this than us?” He leans over and lugs the cooler off the boat and then speaks over his shoulder to his brother, not letting Betty respond to his (apparently rhetorical) question. “You know Jug, you can just call Betty your best friend, you don’t have to add a girl to the beginning of it. I know you were just sparing my feelings, but really, I’m your brother, which means you have to love me more than Betty anyway, so.”

Archie lumbers up to the house, leaving Betty and Jughead on the dock staring after him. 

The two of them share a bewildered look before melting into silent laughter, tears coming to their eyes from the strain of keeping quiet. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The next day, Betty makes them get up early so they can go for a hike. Archie’s annoyingly enthusiastic about it. Jughead, less so. 

“Betty, I’m  _ tired _ ,” he whines from where he’s lagging way behind his brother and Betty. Dragging his feet through the dirt, he lets his arms hang in front of him so they swing a little from him being hunched over. “How much longer until the top? Because I don’t think I’m gonna make it.” Jughead flops onto a particularly large rock off the side of the trail. “Actually, just leave me here to die. Go on without me, finish the mission. Our country’s counting on us. I’ll die knowing I did all I could, but I was no match for it all.” Dramatically, he throws his arm over his face.

“You’re kidding, right?” Archie’s voice is laced with irritation. “We literally just started. Look, I can see the fucking trail marker from here.” 

Jughead hears the crunch of dirt under boots and then he feels those boots kick his shins. “Ow! What was that for?” He sits up and glares at his brother, rubbing his shin with his palm to soothe the pain.

“Stop being an asshat.” Archie’s arms are crossed over his chest when he turns to Betty. “Can we  _ please _ leave him here _ ? _

Betty rolls her eyes at both of them and hops down the trail to stand next to Archie, resting an elbow on his shoulder, staring down at Jughead. “Unfortunately, we have to bring him along. If we left him here to fend for himself, he’d be dead within five minutes, ten max.”

“Would that be so horrible?” 

Betty stands up straight and smacks Archie in the stomach as she passes him to stand in front of Jughead. “Come on, princess, let’s go.” Betty grabs his hands and pulls him up. “I’m not giving you your Pop Tart until you get to the top. So you can stay here and die of starvation,  _ or  _ you can use your little noodle legs and get to the top.”

Jughead grumbles and refuses to let go of Betty’s hand once she starts moving up the trail again. If he’s going to be put through this misery, he at least deserves to hold her hand on the way up. He sticks his tongue out at a miffed-looking Archie as he passes him. 

“You don’t even have to carry a water pack. Betty and I are carrying all your crap and you  _ still _ can’t make it up the damn mountain. I’m gonna make you workout with me when we get home. Leg day only.”

“You’re sweet to come with us, I know it’s not your favorite thing to do,” Betty cuts in. “But it’ll be fun and we appreciate you coming.” She leans over and kisses his cheek, which makes all this torture worth it. “Right, Arch?”

“Yeah whatever. You never kiss  _ my  _ cheek for going on hikes with you.” He grumbles and kicks a twig in front of him like a child.

To Jughead’s horror, Betty laughs and lets go of his hand to place a kiss on Archie’s cheek as well. The smile that brightens Archie’s face makes Jughead roll his eyes. Shaking her head, Betty grabs Jughead’s hand once again and finally starts back up the mountain. “Hanging out with you two and babysitting the Hanovers’ kids is one and the same. Only babysitting is better because I get paid.”

Jughead and Archie both begin to protest, outraged at her statement, and try their hardest to prove her wrong as they hike up the trail. Eventually Betty yells at them for disturbing the nature around them with their whining so they turn to throwing berries they find along the trail at each other. At one point, Jughead falls behind Archie and Betty and he finds a nice round, sticky pine cone which he whips at his brother’s head with all his might. Unfortunately for him, his aim is less than stellar and the pine cone hits his girlfriend’s back with a solid  _ thwack _ .

“Nice aim, bro.” Archie lifts his hand for a high five, but Jughead’s too preoccupied with savoring the last few breaths he might ever take.

Betty turns around slowly, unsticking the pine cone from her back, and glares at him. “You just lost your Pop Tart privileges.” She takes the pine cone and chucks it straight at his stomach. She laughs when he grunts at the impact and takes the high five from Archie that Jughead had ignored.

“I’ve been wounded.” Jughead staggers forward and drapes himself haphazardly over Betty. “I need sustenance to recover from my trauma.”

Betty shakes her head at him, but she has a smile on her lips when she pulls out two containers from her waterpack, handing him the baby carrots and Archie the trail mix. “Can’t have you passing out on me, can I?”

The three of them perch on a rock looking over the side of the mountain, the lake beneath them visible through the trees. Betty pulls out grapes for herself and throws the squishy ones at Archie because he keeps hitting her when trying to point out different things he sees.

Jughead leans his leg against Betty’s, they’re a little sweaty so it’s kind of gross, but he sees Betty smile from the corner of his eye and he decides that hiking might not be the worst activity on the planet.

Once they get to the top, Jughead bypasses the summit marker and finds a nice rock to lie on near the edge. If he’s going to die, it might as well be with a nice view. Betty stands above him with a fond expression and, well, the view just got a lot better. 

She takes a seat next to him, taking their lunch out of her pack. “I think you earned your Pop Tart privileges back. You made it up with less whining than I thought you would.” Unwrapping the cookies and cream Pop Tart, she sticks it into his open mouth. “But you have to share because I still have sap on my back.” She smiles at him around the other Pop Tart in her mouth and if this is the way he has to eat Pop Tarts for the rest of his life, you won’t find him complaining.

Archie, of course, has to ruin the moment by standing in front of their view, facing the lake with his hands on his hips. He breathes in deep and blurts out, “Doesn’t the wind just make you wanna take a whiz?”

“No, it really doesn’t,” Betty says tiredly, giving him such a disappointed look.

“Actually, he’s kind of right.” Jughead stands up and replicates Archie’s pose. “There’s just something about it that’s really inviting.”

Betty’s uncharacteristically quiet for someone who usually has quick retorts to their comments (usually of the dumbass variety). Jughead turns around to see Betty’s face scrunched up, like she’s trying really hard not to laugh, but she loses and bursts into laughter. She snorts in between her choked giggles, the kind of uncontrollable laughter only the boys have ever witnessed. They join in, if only to cover for the fact that they’re really laughing at her laugh.

The three of them finish their lunch, and then take what seems like a billion pictures at Betty’s insistence. They take some awkward self timer ones with all three of them, and then Archie lifts Betty over his shoulder, pretending to throw her over the edge while Jughead captures it all from different angles like the good Instagram boyfriend he is. She’s gripping onto his arms for dear life and her horrified expression really makes the picture a masterpiece.

By the time Archie sets her down, she’s laughing, but that doesn’t stop her from taking off her pack and throwing it at his face. 

“Okay, Jug, your turn. I need a picture with both my boys.” Her smile is soft and her eyes twinkle in the sunlight.

“If you think I can pick you up after hiking a whole mountain, you’re out of your mind.” 

“Fine,” she laughs, then turns away from him, squatting a little. “Hop on.”

All too excitedly, Jughead accepts the piggy back ride, arms going around her shoulders. Betty turns towards Archie, a wide grin plastered to her face. Jughead sticks out his legs and makes a goofy face at the camera. 

“Yes, Betty! Quads of steel!” Archie whoops while taking the picture. 

They get quite a few stares from the other hikers on the mountain, which causes Betty to blush and scold Archie, but she stands a little taller so Jughead knows she’s not mad about it.

Making their way back down, Archie takes up the rear while Betty leads the pack. 

Ever since they started dating, Jughead can’t seem to keep his hands off of her. It’s not like they weren’t physically affectionate before, but now he’s hyper aware of her every move. He constantly wants to be touching her. When they’re around Archie he has to be creative about it, so he’s started tugging on her braids, brushing off imaginary dirt from her shirt, and knocking off her baseball cap. Betty’s caught on to what he’s doing so she sends him flirty smirks and subtle winks while running her fingers lightly across his back or brushing their hands together while they walk. 

He’s currently right behind her, tugging on one of her braids and risking their cover to whisper how cute he thinks she is in her hiking gear, when Archie’s voice interrupts. 

“Oh my  _ god _ , Jug! Stop touching Betty! You’re irritating me and I’m not even the one you’re touching.” Archie pushes past Jughead and moves to separate him from Betty. 

Betty giggles and puts a hand to Archie’s arm. “Yeah Jug, you’re  _ so _ annoying.” She shoots him a wink when Archie’s looking the other way, which makes a blush creep up his neck. 

Archie seems pleased with himself for having saved Betty from Jughead’s bothersome flirting. Shortly after, they come up to another trail marker where the trail splits off into two. Betty hands her map to Archie to have him figure out which way to go. Confused as to why she would trust Archie with this since the map is now upside down in his hands, Jughead turns to her to express this but is cut off with a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“You can tug on my braids anytime you want, but only ‘cause you’re cute.” She’s holding his hand with both of hers and leaning into his body, her face millimeters from his.

He looks down at her face, eyes flitting to every freckle spattered across her nose from the sun and he presses three quick consecutive kisses to her lips, which makes her let out the softest giggle he’s ever heard. 

She pulls away from him and turns back to Archie, whose face is still stuck in the map. “Where to, Arch?”

Archie confidently points to the right and Betty smiles at him while she moves his arm to point towards the trail to the left. “Great! Let’s go!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s two in the morning and the three of them are sprawled out on the blankets laid over the living-room floor while episodes of  _ Psych  _ play in the background, illuminating the space in a soft, muted light. 

They’ve been quiet for a while after their debate on whether gushers or fruit roll-ups are better (obviously, it’s fruit roll-ups) when Archie takes their attention from the screen again. “Have you guys noticed just how obsessed everyone is about finding their soulmates now that we’re sophomores?”

Jughead looks down at his own soulmark, unable to suppress the smile that comes to his face; he sees Betty in the colors and shapes on his wrist even if he shouldn’t.

Betty speaks up softly, “It’s probably a little different, since you’re a guy and macho-ism is prevalent, but the girls have been talking about it ever since they even understood what a soulmate mark was.” She’s rubbing her mark as she speaks and Jughead wonders if she thinks the same things he does or if she even notices what she’s doing. “Kevin definitely talks about it a lot, but he always has.” She pauses for a moment before continuing, thoughtfully, “Although, recently, when he talks about it, there’s more worry than just fun imaginings.”

Archie’s uncharacteristically somber, which concerns Jughead.

“Moose and Trev have definitely mentioned it more in the last couple of game sessions we’ve had.” He says slowly, not really sure where Archie’s going with his inquiry.

“What about you guys? Do you think about it at all?” Archie reaches up to rub the back of his neck, staring at the carpet in front of him like he’s deep in thought. “About meeting your soulmates, I mean.”

Jughead stays quiet for a moment, not entirely sure how to answer the question. Soulmates weren’t ever talked about when he was in Foster Care, not past the explanation of what his mark meant. Then when he was brought to the Andrews’, he only saw it as a bond between him and both Archie and Betty. Other than that, he hadn’t given it much thought. His mark was just something that he enjoyed watching change– it reminds him of how much he’s grown over the years, a reminder that he’s loved by his family. 

Recently though, he’s avoided looking at it. He doesn’t want to see anyone that isn’t Betty in his mark. He’s only fifteen, and he doesn’t want to have to think about forever when right now is so good.

Betty starts to answer his question before Jughead can figure out what he’s going to say. “I think I used to think about it more when I was younger, if I’m honest. I mean, you guys remember,” a fond smile comes to her lips, “I used to try and find every little crush I had in the colors.” Betty lifts her head, her eyes meeting his. “But, I haven’t looked at it too much lately. I think I’m afraid of what I might see.” Her voice gets softer and she looks into her lap. “Or, of what I won’t see, I guess.”

Jughead tries not to get too excited at what she’s saying. Who knows what it all means? That's the infuriating thing about these marks. They hold all of the information for your eternal happiness, but you don’t know anything about it until the universe deems it okay to be happy. 

“What about you, Arch? How do you feel about the whole thing?” 

“I don’t know, I’m happy just figuring things out on my own I guess. It feels weird to have my future kind of set, y’know? Like sure, it’s great to have a person that’s perfect for you, but don’t you think it’s also nice to date other people, learn on your own and then pick someone for yourself? I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t stop myself from thinking about it sometimes.” He says all this with a faraway sort of tone to his voice, looking at Shawn and Juliet bantering on screen.

The three of them fall quiet after that, watching Shawn introduce Gus as Weepy Boy Santos to a suspect. After another moment, he feels Betty’s hand slip into his under the blanket. She squeezes his fingers and traces his mark with her thumb. Even though he’s still young, he can’t imagine a better person out there for him than his own Betty Cooper. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next morning, Jughead is woken up by something tickling his nose. He scrunches it, hoping whatever it is will go away and he can keep sleeping—no such luck, and he begrudgingly cracks an eye open. Met with unwelcome sunlight, he shuts his eyes tight again to ward away the evil sun. He tries to roll over to stuff his pillow over his head but the left side of his body seems to be stuck. Cracking open an eye again, he realizes why—something much more pleasant than sunlight.

Sometime during the night, Betty had rolled over and completely eliminated any space between them. Their legs are tangled together and her cheek is pillowed against his chest. A flyaway hair continues to brush against his nose, being blown around by the fan above them. The soft golden hues coming through the shaded windows wash across her face and she looks impossibly serene. Jughead, still in a sleepy haze, takes a second to memorize this moment before tugging Betty closer to him. He listens to the steady rhythm of her heart beat against his chest and her soft, slow breathes, letting his eyelids drift shut once again.

The second time Jughead’s woken up is by a very upset-sounding redhead.

“How  _ could  _ you?” 

Rolling away from Betty, Jughead grinds the palm of his hands into his eyes, trying desperately to wake up enough to understand what exactly Archie’s upset about. He hears disgruntled noise coming from beside him, Betty also trying to find her bearings after a deep sleep. 

“S’matter?” Jughead finally manages to grumble out. He’s able to sit up and focus on Archie better now: he’s sitting on the coffee table in front of him, arms wrapped around himself. He resembles a five year old whose favorite teddy bear was taken from them before nap time.

“You guys were cuddling without me.” Archie pouts. “Jug,  _ you _ were the one that said we were too old to cuddle.” His eyebrows are turned up, lips pouting ever so slightly and hurt flooding his eyes. The resemblance to a kicked golden retriever is astounding. 

He feels Betty gently shaking next to him and lets out a chuckle of his own. “Okay bud, get over here. Big spoon or little spoon?” 

Instead of answering, Archie flops down in front of Betty, wrapping the blanket she offers him around his shoulders. He curls up as small as his huge body will allow him and Betty wraps an arm around his waist. 

Jughead shakes his head and lets out a soft huff of a laugh while laying back down. He wraps Betty in his arms again, placing a tender kiss at the base of her neck before letting sleep overtake him once again.

  
  
  


…………

  
  
  
  


As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, Archie has been busy with football practice as the team tries to redeem themselves at the final game of the season. This should have been good news for Jughead—opening up multiple girlfriend-kissing opportunities—only Betty has been just as busy with cheer practice. Cheryl’s been relentless and has planned The Vixens’ biggest halftime show of the season so they can outdo Greendale’s routine. Or so he’s been told. 

Today, though, the universe is smiling on Jughead. Cheryl canceled practice due to a “family matter”, but Ginger told Betty it was really because she wanted to get home in time for the new Jeffree Star release.

On the walk home from school, they had traded kisses and walked hand in hand since there was no Archie to hide from. Pretty much everyone else around them— their parents, Kevin, the entire Vixen team, even Reggie—has figured out they’re together. Archie is still blissfully ignorant and they want to keep it that way for just a little while longer. 

They were going to tell him after their camping trip, but a week after they had gotten back, Archie’s girlfriend dumped him and Betty had felt like it was a bad time to share their exciting news. 

Every time they’ve tried to bring it up, Archie just either can’t figure out what they ware trying to say and everyone involved becomes confused or he changes the subject before they can get it out. 

Which brings them here, in Betty’s garage, changing the oil in her sister’s car. And by them, he really means Betty’s changing the oil and he’s just admiring her sexy, grease-covered, oversized overalls and her fitted orange and red striped long sleeve shirt.

“You know, if you take a picture it’ll last longer,” Betty teases from underneath the car.

Jughead leans further into the workbench behind him, getting comfortable and shoving his hands into his front pockets. “Oh believe me, babe, I have. I’m looking at a new lockscreen, I’d say. It’s a real winner,” he jokes back.

“You’d replace The Red Dragon for me? This relationship must be getting serious then, huh?” Betty laughs, as she wiggles her way out from under the car.

His lockscreen, better known as The Red Dragon, is currently an extremely photoshopped image of Archie that has him breathing fire out of his mouth, courtesy of Kevin and his Digital Editing final. He hasn’t changed it since eighth grade.

“Yeah, I  _ guess  _ you’re worth keeping around for a while.”

When she passes him after pulling off her gloves and tossing them on the ground, he hooks his arm out and around her waist to bring her to him. Jughead pulls her against him, both arms coming around her back to hold her close, their chests pressed together and her feet in between his. Betty’s arms are wrapped around his shoulders, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes drop to her lips when she pulls her perfect pink bottom lip in between her teeth. 

“You sure you don’t have any other best friends lined up to be your girlfriend?” she asks coyly, rising onto her tiptoes, bringing her face closer to his. Her eyes are glued to his lips. 

“Last I checked you’re the only one.” Jughead shrugs, brushing his nose against hers.

“How convenient, I don’t much like sharing.” Her eyes flick up to his and glint with a possessiveness he just can’t stay away from.

Jughead closes the final distance between them, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Her hands are everywhere, sliding down his chest from his shoulders and then back again, until she fists the front of his shirt, tugging him somehow even closer to her than he already was. 

Betty’s tongue traces over his bottom lip before slipping into his mouth and he swears he’s died and gone to heaven in those five seconds. He leans into their kiss a little more than is probably necessary, dipping Betty backwards with his enthusiasm. She smirks against his lips, knowing exactly what she’s doing to him, and that drives him  _ crazy _ . 

Jughead’s hands slide down Betty’s back and over her ass to her thighs, spinning them around so he can hoist her up and onto the workbench behind them. Betty grips the front of his shirt, dragging him closer to her before moving her hands to his hair, knocking off his beanie and threading her fingers through his curls. The light scratching of her nails against his scalp pulls a moan from his throat. His hands don’t leave her thighs, fingers gripping a little tighter to drag her to the edge of the workbench. Betty’s legs wrap around his hips, bringing him flush against her. 

“God, you’re hot,” she sighs into the skin of his neck before sucking hard at his pulse point, drawing yet another moan from him. He knows there will be a mark there tomorrow but he’s not mad about it in the slightest. 

Letting go of her legs to cup her face, he brings her lips back to his. “You’re one to talk,” he mumbles against her. He feels Betty’s fingers curl into his belt loops, a few fingers dipping past the waistband of his jeans. Jughead lets out a soft groan into Betty’s mouth which she swallows, driving him absolutely insane. 

He bites her bottom lip, tugging it lightly with his teeth, smirking at the moan she lets escape from her throat. He releases her lip and kisses along her jaw, working his way down her neck, dipping his tongue into the groove of her collarbone. His thumb pushes slightly against her jaw, tipping her head up so he has better access to her impossibly soft skin. She tightens her legs again, heels digging into the small of his back. He grazes her collarbone with his teeth which releases the most wonderful noise he’s ever heard. 

“ _ Juggie _ .”

If he died tomorrow, he’d be okay with it. Betty Cooper, the most gorgeous woman to walk the earth, has just whimpered his name.  _ His _ name. There is nothing he could do that would come close to this moment. Graduating high school? Anyone could do it. But pulling that kind of noise from Betty fucking Cooper? He’ll never be able to top it. 

“Hey Betts, have you seen Ju— Ohmigod.” There’s a crash of metal tools against the garage floor. Jughead wrenches his mouth away from Betty and takes a few steps back, throwing his hands up in surrender. Immediately, he realized this was probably a horrible mistake because he definitely has a problem he’d rather Archie didn’t see. Betty hops down from the workbench and stands in front of him, compulsively running a hand over her ponytail, the other hand wiping at her mouth. He sees a flush crawl down her neck and beneath her collar, knowing her face must be rivaling the color of boiled a lobster.

Archie’s standing in the middle of the garage, mouth wide open, face flaming red. He seems to be internally fighting the need to stare them down and also look anywhere but at his two best friends. 

None of them says anything for an excruciating three minutes. Betty twists the rubber toe of her converse against the floor and Jughead picks at a string on his flannel, thinking of unseasoned mashed potatoes and soggy toast to will his  _ problem _ away. 

“Arch—” Betty starts but is cut off when Archie holds up a hand.

Archie’s landed on staring at them and genuine anger is flooding his eyes. Jaw set and eyebrows furrowed, Jughead’s never seen him this angry. “My brother and  _ best  _ friend are together?” His voice is cold and rigid. Before Jughead can even process Archie’s reaction, his expression melts into fondness. “My  _ brother  _ and  _ best friend  _ are  _ together _ !” Archie’s eyebrows turn up while he pouts his lips out at them like they’re pandas at the zoo. 

Archie rushes over to them, crushing them both into a group hug. “Guys this is  _ so _ great! When did it happen? Why didn’t you tell me?” He pulls back abruptly, looking extremely troubled. “Who am I supposed to give the, y’know, hurt them and you die speech to?”

Betty and Jughead share an overwhelmed look before breaking into laughter. 

Jughead slaps a hands onto Archie’s shoulder. “If I hurt Betty, I’ll come to you first and I wholeheartedly encourage you to beat the crap out of me.” 

Archie nods, liking the sound of his proposition. “Okay, but what about Betty? I can’t hit a girl.”

Betty scoffs and shoves Archie into the tools to his left. “Shut  _ up _ , Arch. We’ve been wrestling with one another since we were five. If I hurt Jug, you are more than welcome to hit me, just make it a good one.”

Archie smiles wide. “This is so great, you guys.” And then, in true Archie form, he’s onto the next thing in a matter of seconds. “You wanna order pizza? I’ve been dying to have a game night all week.”

Jughead puts his arms around both Archie and Betty as they walk out of the garage and towards his house. “I couldn’t think of anything better.”

Hours later, half-empty pizza boxes are laying across the table in the basement, and threats are flying out of their mouths. Betty is absolutely decimating the two boys at Mario Kart to the point where Archie’s threatening tears.

For all of Jughead and Betty’s worrying, nothing has changed between the three musketeers. 

  
  
  
  
  


…………

  
  
  
  
  
  


Betty thinks that maybe there should have been a period of time where she and Jughead weren’t really sure how to act around one another. The idea of transitioning from best friends to dating seems more complicated in her head than it actually has been. Jughead seems to have had no problem with the switch and it makes her wonder just how long he’s wanted this. He claims he hadn’t known until she’d kissed him, but he’s just so natural at it that he’s had to have had more time to think about it,  _ right _ ? Maybe she’s making it a bigger deal than it is. 

Now that they’re dating, things seem different. Logically, he’s still the same Jughead she grew up with, but she can’t help but be more schooled with her actions around him. She’s having a harder time being honest with him now, which she hates, but she can’t seem to let him see just how stressed she is. Constantly watching herself, trying not to annoy or upset him in any way. She just wants to make him happy. 

Since they were kids, she’s always been the one Jughead’s had the easiest time opening up to, and them dating seems to have only made things easier for him in that regard. She’s thrilled, really, but it also infuriates her because he’s that person for her too but dating him has made it harder to talk to him. Anytime she’s tried to express her anxiety, it’s like her brain locks up and she can see what she needs to say but it won’t actually leave her mouth. 

They’re a little over halfway through sophomore year and she’s just so  _ tired _ . Everyone around her has expectations she needs to live up to, and failing isn't an option. On days like today, she feels like all she’s doing is performing. At home, she plays the perfect youngest daughter who does everything her sister did wrong, correctly. At school, she’s the perfect student and perky cheerleader, participating in class and shooting a pearly white smile to everyone who looks her way. And with Jughead, she plays the perfect girlfriend, she pretends to be happy about everything all the time. She resents that one the most. 

The most frustrating part is that she doesn’t always feel this way. Some days are just like they’ve always been, but anytime she’s reminded that she’s his  _ girlfriend _ , it’s like her mind shuts down and she is too afraid to be herself. 

That morning, she had woken up to her parents and Polly screaming at each other before school— something about art school and how expensive it is for a major without promising job opportunities. From there, the day slowly took its toll on her. 

She and Jughead have plans to study after school and that’s the only thing keeping her going, knowing that he’ll let her curl up with him and just hold her for a while if she needs it. Betty can’t even imagine trying to hold another conversation right now. She just wants to be with him. 

Flopped out on her bed, she’s staring up at the ceiling, waiting for his knock on her door. Instead, her phone starts to ring.

Picking it up, she sees Jughead’s contact photo on the screen—a picture of him lying upside down on her bed, his head hanging off the edge and looking up at the book in his hands. A small, genuine smile comes to her face for the first time all day. 

  
  


When she answers, his soft, lazy voice comes through the phone, “Hey, Coop,” and she instantly feels the thrum of anxiety ease slightly. She’s able to focus on the low timbre, pushing the millions of other thoughts from her mind for a moment. 

“Hi, Juggie.” Her voice sounds utterly exhausted to herself and she wonders if Jughead picks up on it. Another spiral of thoughts invade her head, desperately hoping he’ll notice but also hoping he won’t. She’s such a  _ freak _ .

“I know we had a study date today, but the guys are hanging out at Pop’s and then they’re going to Trev’s house to play Overwatch. Can we raincheck?”

Her heart instantly drops at his words. Pressure builds in her chest, making its way into her throat. 

“Um...” she trails off, not knowing how to articulate just how much she needs the normalcy of their date, how much she needs  _ him _ . 

“I haven’t hung out with them in a while and I cancelled on them last time because I was doing something with you so I feel like I should probably go, y’know? We can totally study tomorrow, and I’ll even watch Clueless with you this weekend to make it up to you.”

Betty can’t seem to speak. All the thoughts from throughout the day cloud her mind and she can’t focus on finding anything to say to him.

“Babe?”

Betty closes her eyes and takes a shallow breath. “Whatever, Jughead. Have fun,” she says, her voice clipped.

Taking the phone away from her ear, she clicks the end button and tosses it onto her bed. Sitting up, she stays as still as possible, her legs crossed on her bed. Betty’s jaw clenches, her whole body feeling so unnaturally stiff. Closing her eyes, she tries to focus on her breathing, the flowers on her bedspread, the lines on her to-do list—anything to get the overwhelming cloud to clear. 

None of it works. 

She clenches her fists, the sting breaks through the cloud. 

Tears fall down her cheeks.

  
  
  
  
  


Betty doesn’t know how much time has passed since her phone call with Jughead. It’s dark out now and she’s gotten through a few of her assignments, though it’s all sort of a blur and she’s not sure how she’s completed them. 

There’s a soft rap of knuckles at her door. “Betts?”

Her fingers curl into her palms in response to hearing her favorite sound in the world. 

Jughead slowly opens her door, head popping in before the rest of him. His smile is soft but tentative as he quietly shuts the door behind him before making his way over to her bed.

Staying stuck in the spot on her bed, she shoves her hands in between her legs.

He moves a few of her papers on her bed, making a spot for himself to sit next to her. Perched on the side of her bed, he looks the most uncomfortable he has been around her since that first day they met. 

Her stomach clenches at the observation and she feels like she might be sick. Her heart is screaming at her to touch him, but her mind keeps her right where she is, inches of space between them and miles of uncertainty.

Jughead fiddles with his beanie, pulling it over his ears before he seems to realize what his hands are doing and he reaches out to rest a hand on her thigh. His thumb absently rubs over her jeans. “I just wanted to check on you before I went home. You didn’t really sound like yourself when you hung up and then you didn’t answer my texts after so I just, y’know…” He lets his train of thought trail off, and his eyes trace her face, seemingly looking for a reason to prove his worries unfounded.

She can’t seem to shake the feeling in her stomach, every muscle in her body feeling heavy with tension and her mind so loud. Despite it all, she reaches out to lay her hand on top of his in hopes of easing his mind. Betty’s not really sure how to feel towards him at the moment, but she’s desperate to get rid of this weird energy around them. She craves normalcy. 

But that’s when he spots her hands. 

“Betts, what is this?” He wraps his finger gingerly around her wrists, his eyes focused on the blood covering her palms. “You haven’t done this in years.” His face falls and dread covers his features. “This isn’t because of me, is it?” His voice sounds crackly with hurt. 

“No! I mean… no, I don’t think so?” Betty feels anger rising inside of her. She doesn’t know why his reaction makes her so angry but she wrenches her hands from his grip and steels her face. “Just leave it alone, Jug.”

“What!?” His eyes, wide with confusion and distress, snap to her face. She feels his stare burn into her. “Of course I’m not going to leave it alone!” Jughead reaches for her hands again but Betty finally gets her body to move and she steps off her bed and out of his reach. She glowers at him, holding her hands behind her back and as far away from his sight as she can. 

The hurt etched into his features deepens until their eyes finally meet and a switch seems to flip inside of him. His jaw clenches, face set in a distant anger she’s never seen before. 

_ What gives  _ him  _ the right to be angry?  _ He  _ was the one who blew me off,  _ he  _ was the one who ignored what I wanted,  _ he’s  _ the one at fault.  _

“You don’t get to be angry after ditching me this afternoon!” Her voice has a deadly edge to it, one that seems to strike Jughead in just the right place to really set off his anger. 

“If you hadn’t just hung up on me and told me you didn’t want me to hang out with them, I wouldn’t have. But god forbid I don’t spend every waking moment with you.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Betty sees the instant regret in his eyes. His body loosens and he takes a step towards her. “Betts, I-”

“Just... get out, Jughead.” Betty won’t look at him, instead choosing a strand of string twisted up on itself on her rug. Anger, frustration and hurt course through her body, all of it thrumming in her ears.

She feels his anger return and roll off of him in waves. “Fine.” The cacophonous word tells Betty that every one of his defenses is up, just like hers are.

The door slams behind him and his echoing footsteps disappear down the hallway. Betty crumbles to the ground. All the stress, fear and anxiety she’s been keeping inside of her finally come rushing to the surface. Her body wracks with sobs, and the tears wash down her face, bringing a sense of dread with them.

Not even the sting of her palms clears a path through the pain in her heart. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next morning, Betty wakes up early in order to clean up the hurricane of papers around her room and to put herself together like nothing had happened the night before. She stands in front of the mirror, staring into her reflection. There's a stranger in the eyes that stare back at her. The usual deep green of her eyes is pale and murky, guarded from scrutiny. She picks up her concealer and paints the makeup over her dark circles. Hiding every imperfection, every blotch that suggests she isn’t the perfect Cooper girl she’s expected to be. Before she puts on blush, her face looks devoid of life. A dry laugh leaves her lips.  _ Poetic _ . She finishes her routine and stares back into the mirror. To anyone else, she’d look just like she does every other day. Mustering a smile might convince herself that she’s okay, but it doesn’t seem worth it.

Tightening her ponytail, her soul mark catches her eye in the mirror. 

_ No.  _

_ No no no no no.  _

_ It can’t be. _

She moves her wrist closer to her face and staring up at her is a new pattern in her puzzle piece. The shapes are all over her soulmark instead of a few sporadically across the space. Her watercolors are the same underneath the black outlines. 

The pressure behind her eyes is almost blinding. Mrs. Grundy’s voice rings through her ears: “Defining elements in your life cause change to your soulmark”.  _ No _ . Whatever  _ this _ is, this feeling right now, it’s not defining. It’s not a part of her, it’s not significant. It’s  _ not _ . It isn’t  _ anything.  _

Betty grabs a scrunchie off of the counter and pulls it onto her wrist. If it’s out of sight, it didn’t happen. This isn’t defining. It is  _ not _ a permanent part of her. It just can’t be.

Running down the stairs, Betty swipes her backpack off one of the kitchen chairs and grabs the container of sliced strawberries she had cut the night before from the refrigerator. She runs outside, hoping to catch Polly before she leaves the driveway. 

Polly had just started the car and was picking her music when Betty opened the door and plopped into the passenger’s seat. 

“You’re not walking with the boys today?” Polly asks, her head tilted in surprise.

“No, my legs are sore from practice yesterday, I already told them.” Betty tells the dashboard in front of her, refusing to look at her sister.

“You sure? Jughead looks a little confused over there.”

She had texted Archie but hadn’t felt ready to reach out to Jughead yet. Archie would tell him. He’d be fine.

“Can we just get to school please?” Betty asks quietly, hugging the backpack in her lap close.

“Sure thing, Betty.” As Polly pulls out of the driveway, she looks over at Betty and smiles. “I queued up  _ Four _ . I think it’s a One Direction kind of day, don’t you?”

Betty can only nod, for fear of the tears in her eyes falling. She’s never been more grateful for her big sister than in that moment. 

The Cooper sisters pull into the school parking lot,  _ Girl Almighty _ blasting from their car windows and wide smiles on their faces. They share a laugh over the disgusted looks thrown their way from the freshman boys they pass before getting out of the car. 

On their way through the parking lot, Polly stops Betty with a hand to her arm. “Betty? I know I haven’t been around much because things between me and mom and dad have been pretty bad, but I’m always your biggest cheerleader. You know that, right?

“Yeah, I do. Thanks, Pol.”

Polly gathers Betty into a hug and squeezes tight. The knot in Betty’s chest loosens just slightly. Of course her big sister can see right through her. 

“We’ll have a girls day when you’re ready to tell me what’s going on. Say the word and I’m there.”

Betty gives her sister a smile and squeezes her hand instead of answering her with words. If she speaks, the dam she’s worked so hard to build up will burst. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next few days, she goes through school, avoiding Jughead as much as she can. He seems to be doing the same thing-- looking the other way when they see each other down the hall, picking tables to sit at on the opposite side of the lunch room, adamantly taking notes in the classes that they sit next to each other in. Archie’s tried to ask her about it a few times but she only waves him off and says that she’s just been busy. He doesn’t look like he believes her but Betty kisses his cheek and tells him she’ll talk to him later before he can question her further. She and Polly continue to ride to school with one another, having mini dance parties to and from school. It’s what gets her through the days. For a few moments while she laughs with Polly, she forgets about her favorite pair of blue eyes. 

What feels like the longest week of her life is finally over. Unusually, Polly’s home and not out with her friends. Betty takes the opportunity to tiptoe down to her sister’s room, pushing the door open hesitantly. 

“Hey, Pol?”

Polly’s sitting on her bed, surrounded by different kinds of M&Ms and painting her nails a bright purple color. She flashes a smile upon seeing Betty. “What’s up, Betts?”

Walking into her room, Betty sits next to her on the bed, picking up the peanut butter M&Ms and popping a few into her mouth. This conversation definitely requires chocolate therapy. “I need your help. I kind of have a boy problem.”

Polly finishes painting her pinky before capping her nail polish bottle and shuffling her body towards Betty. “Is this about you and Jughead?”

“Yeah.” Betty traces the dainty blue flowers scattered across Polly’s white bedspread with her finger. 

“What’s going on? Do I need to beat him up for you? Knock a few heads? I bet I could get Archie to help me.” Polly pounds her fist into her palm, faking a snarl on her face.

Betty laughs, placing her hand over Polly’s to get her to drop her fighting hands. “No, no! Nothing like that. I just—” she interrupts herself to gather her thoughts. “You and Jason were friends before you dated, right?”

Polly leans back on her hands. “Sort of. I mean, we were friendly and we ran in the same circles but we had never actually hung out before. Certainly not like you and Jughead, if that’s what you mean.”

“Oh.” Betty’s shoulders sag, disappointed that Polly never went through what she currently is.

“Is he having a hard time transitioning from friends to you two dating?” Polly presses.

“No! That’s the problem.” Betty throws her hands up, letting some of her frustration out. “He’s totally fine with it all. But things should feel different now, shouldn’t they? But they aren’t, in my head things seem so complicated and he seems to handle all this so much better than me and I don’t even know why I’m feeling weird about it because it’s  _ Jughead _ ,” she finishes with a defeated sigh .

“What about your relationship feels weird?”

“Shouldn’t there be a big change between us now that we’re, like,  _ dating _ ? Shouldn’t it feel different?” 

“Let me ask you something, Betty.” Polly takes a second to think before her face goes soft. “Who’s the first one you go to for everything? No matter what time of day, no matter what it is?”

“Jug,” Betty answers immediately.

“Why not Archie?” Polly raises an eyebrow at her, a small smile spreading across her face knowingly. 

“I—” Betty can’t seem to come up with an answer. 

“Jughead has always been your person, Betty. Just because you have the title of being his girlfriend doesn’t mean you or him or even the both of you as a unit have to change. You and Archie are best friends, but you and Jughead are a little more and you always kinda have been.”

Betty’s cheeks flush as she thinks about all the times Jughead kissed her scraped knees while Archie laughed or when she’d climbed into his window in the middle of the night because the fighting between her parents was too much. Archie usually joined them later, but it was always Jughead that she sought first. 

Polly leans forward and grabs one of her hands, giving it a light squeeze. “You should go talk to him. The communication doesn’t stop just because you’re dating now. If anything, there should be more.”

Betty throws her arms around Polly in a big hug. “Thanks, Pol. I owe you one.”

Betty leaves her sister’s room with all of Polly’s advice running through her mind. Through it all though, only one thought is at the forefront:  _ I really hope he doesn’t hate me.  _ Betty decides that she won’t be coming back to this house unless she fixes what she screwed up, she has a mission to complete. Operation: Lover Boy.

  
  
  
  
  


Jughead’s miserable. Absolutely terrible. The fact that Betty’s been avoiding him all week is really pissing him off, but he also really misses her, which only makes him more angry. The worst part is that he’s not even sure what really happened. They were fine one minute and then all at once, things were going straight to shit. 

He pushes his half empty bowl of popcorn away from him and sighs deeply, laying his head roughly in his arms on the table. 

“Hey, Jug. Rough day at school?” His mom comes into the kitchen and sits down in the chair next to him, her fingers brushing the hair that hangs out from under the front of his beanie. 

“You could say that,” he grumbles.

“You haven’t been eating too much lately and you’ve been a little—how do I put this nicely?—mopey.” Mary chuckles when his frown deepens. “I haven’t seen Betty around too much, does that have anything to do with it?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“ _ Jug _ ,” she admonishes gently.

“Fine!” Jughead throws his hands in the air. “Yes. We got into a fight the other night. Are you happy?”

Mary moves a hand to his back and rubs comfortingly. “Jughead.” She fixes him with a look. “Do you want to talk about it? I might be able to help. I was a teenage girl at one point in my life, you know.”

Jughead leans back in his chair, staring at the ceiling when he lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t really know what happened.” He sits up and tugs off his beanie so he can worry at it in his lap. “I wanted to hang out with my other friends when I was supposed to spend time with Betty. I called her and everything to ask but she got really weird and then when I went to check on her later she freaked out at me.” Anger is rising in his voice as he tells his mom everything that happened.

“And then she wouldn't talk to me. I haven’t really seen her in three days.” Jughead lifts his gaze to look at his mom and all his anger fades away at the concern in her eyes. “I don’t know, I think I’m angry at Betty, but I’m also mad at myself and I just don’t know what to do. I don’t even know how we got to this point.”

His mom nods, seemingly thinking about how to explain all of this garbage to him. “Well, think about the Betty you know. Would she ever get that angry at you without reason?”

“No, of course not,” Jughead responds, shaking his head emphatically. 

“Okay, would she ever get that mad at you for wanting to hang out with other people?”

“I mean, I didn’t think so. But I guess she does.” Jughead shrugs, anger slowly building in his chest again.

“You don’t think there’s something else going on?” Her eyes have a knowing look in them as she smiles at him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I just mean that this is very unlike Betty, right?” Jughead nods in confirmation, and Mary continues. “So I think there might be more going on than you think. Maybe you should try going to talk to her.”

“You really think so?” His anger dissipates after taking in everything his mom is saying, hope taking its place.

“I would bet pretty much anything on it,” she says, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Jughead gets up from the kitchen table and Mary follows. He hesitates before wrapping his arms around her, hugging tightly. “Thanks, Mom,” he mumbles into her shirt, letting all the stress from the past few days seep from his body.

“That’s what I’m here for, sweetheart.”

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. He breaks away from the hug, looking in question at Mary. “Are you expecting someone?”

“No, can you get it for me? I have a feeling you’ll be able to handle it better than I will.” She winks at him before heading over to the sink. 

Jughead shakes his head in confusion, but he’s not about to refuse his mom’s simple request.

When he opens the door, Betty’s standing on the steps, hand raised like she was about to knock again. Despite everything, he can’t help the smile that comes to his face when he sees her.

“Hey Juggie,” Her voice is soft and the apples of her cheeks are tinged pink.

“Uh, hey. I was actually just coming to find you.” Jughead rubs the back of his neck, keeping his hands busy so he doesn’t do something ridiculous like pulling her into a kiss and then never letting go. They should talk first, but  _ god  _ she’s cute.

“Oh,” she breathes out, clasping her hands in front of her and rocking just the slightest bit onto the tip of her toes and then back onto her heels.

They stand in silence for a bit, neither one of them appearing to know what the next step forward is. 

Betty ducks her head, catching his eyes, and gives him a soft, playful smile. “So, are you going to let me in?”

The tension he didn’t realize was in his shoulders melts away at the beautiful sight of her smile. “Oh, um, right. Yeah, come on in.” He fumbles slightly, knocking into the open door, trying to get out of her way as quickly as possible. 

Betty lets out a cute giggle and runs a hand from his shoulder down his arm, grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze. She pauses to slip off her converse before tugging him into the kitchen and sits down in one of the chairs, crossing her legs.

“Why can’t you ever just sit normally in your chair?” He laughs at her, heart swelling at her bizarre habit and the tinge of red that comes to the tips of her ears when he points it out. 

“You’re just jealous because your lanky body doesn’t fit in the chair this way,” she says, pulling up her legs a little so she can wrap her arms around herself, resting her cheek on her left knee. 

He sits in the chair next to her, the corner of the table between them. Thankfully, his mom had vacated the kitchen in the time it had taken Jughead to let Betty into their house. The two of them don’t need an audience for this conversation.

They fall into an awkward lull of silence once they finish teasing one another. Jughead clears his throat, preparing to open the conversation with an apology when Betty speaks up. 

“We—” Betty’s eyes shift to the table and her voice wobbles. “We didn’t… didn’t break up, did we?”

“What? No, Betts!” Jughead reaches forwards and squeezes her socked foot. “Of course not.” 

Her eyes return to his, unshed tears making her eyes glitter in the most beautiful way. 

“You’ll have to work a lot harder than that to get me away from you, Coop. You know that.” He smiles at her, and her shoulders fall, a breath leaving her body. 

“I’m really sorry I freaked out on you the other day.”

“I didn’t exactly have the greatest reaction either. I shouldn’t have stormed out on you like I did.” Jughead tugs at his beanie and tosses it on the table so he can run his fingers through his hair. 

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have had to if I hadn’t acted all controlling and then yelled at you when you were trying to check up on me.” Betty drops her arms, feet falling from the chair to land on the floor. She leans towards him, elbows resting on her knees. 

“Baby,  _ no _ ,” Jughead sighs, his eyes searching her face. Her lip wobbles, and he knows she’s tearing herself apart over how she acted and he  _ hates  _ it. Betty looks away from him, staring dejectedly at the floor.

“Betts,” he pleads, with no luck getting her to look at him. “Betty, look at me, please.” He softly nudges her chin up, faintly stroking the side of it. Her eyes are intense and stormy when she meets his gaze. “You’re no more at fault for what happened than I am. We both didn’t handle the situation well, we both made mistakes, and that’s why we’re talking about it now. Okay?”

She nods and he moves his hand from her chin to hold onto one of her hands. His thumb absentmindedly begins to stroke her knuckles. 

“I don’t want you to think I don’t want you to hang out with your friends,” she starts. “I never want you to feel like you have to pick me over them and I know how important it is for you to spend time with them too. I’m sorry I put you in a place where I made you feel bad about spending time with them.”

“Betts, I’ve never felt like you kept me from seeing them. We had plans first, and it was kinda shitty of me to cancel them so last minute.” He pauses, giving her a small smile. “And most of the time, I’d much rather stay with you than deal with that band of hooligans, anyway.”

This makes her laugh, the sparkle he so adores coming back to her eyes. 

“But I think there’s more to what’s going on than just sharing custody of me with the guys.” Betty shakes her head at him while letting a smile come to her lips. “What’s going on inside that beautiful mind of yours?” Jughead moves a piece of her hair out of her eyes, letting his thumb skim against her temple. 

She shuts her eyes tight and brings the hand not in his to rub at her forehead. “I just have so much going on in my head and so much of it’s stupid and ridiculous and I just seem to be worried about everything all the time and I’m so stressed that if I let any of these things out, it’s going to make everyone see just how much of a freak I am.”

“Betts…”

“No, Jughead. What if I start telling you things and you think I’m irritating or I’m a bad girlfriend?” Her eyes open and he’s overwhelmed at the turmoil written across her face. 

“Betts, just because we’re dating doesn’t mean I stop being your best friend. I’m not going to stop liking you just because I see that you’re anxious or because you yell at me when I’m being stupid.” 

“But nobody wants that.” Betty looks at him like he just said something ridiculous. 

“Why do you think I started liking you in the first place?” 

Betty shrugs. 

“I mean, besides the fact that you’re beyond gorgeous and have the most brilliant smile.” Betty pouts her lip out at him like she does when she’s insecure about his compliments. “I like you because I’m the most me when I’m with you. You were the first one I trusted when I came to live with my family and you’re the first one to make me laugh when I’ve been brooding too long. I like you because of all the things about yourself that you see as flawed. All of those things make up the Betty Cooper that I love.”

“You… you what?” Her eyes are wide and she squeezes his hand tightly.

“I love you,” he says easily, shrugging as he continues, “I think I always have. You gave me Gerry the Giraffe and I was done for.”

Betty lets out a wet laugh and jumps from her chair to throw her arms around his neck, pressing her tear-stained face into his shoulder.

“I love you too, Juggie.”

She moves back just enough to pull his face to hers and stamp a kiss to his lips. Hand coming up to cup his face, Betty holds him to her, lips soft and tender against his. They’ve shared a lot of kisses together, but none as wonderfully imperfect as this one. She’s perched on the chair so she’s halfway in his lap and almost falling off. They should probably move to a more comfortable position but he’s too occupied with the feeling of her lips, her breath, her smile, to give a damn. His hands smooth across her back, holding her to him, trying to memorize everything about this moment. 

Reluctantly, he pulls away and smiles when she chases after his lips, her eyes still closed. Jughead tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. 

“Don’t think we’re done talking about what’s going on.” He fixes her with a teasing glare. “We should probably move to my room though; I plan on kissing you a lot more, and I don’t want to scar poor Archie anymore than we already have.” Jughead chuckles at the blush that rises to Betty’s cheeks.

They run up the stairs and he pauses by the door to let her in first. She hops up onto his bed, tossing her flats off and making herself comfortable. “Can I spend the night? I can get Polly to cover for me.”

“Do you even have to ask?” Jughead joins her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. 

“Are your parents going to make Archie sleep in here again?” Betty manages to get out through her giggles at the teasing kisses he’s leaving across her collarbone.

“Probably,” he says, shifting her off of his lap and moving over her. “We can’t have any inappropriate behavior going on under this roof, Ms. Cooper. What kind of establishment do you think we run here?” he continues using the voice he always does when impersonating his dad.

Betty’s hands wind into his hair, legs wrapping around his waist. “Hopefully at least a PG13 one.” 

The mischievous smile she gives him makes his heart stutter. He really is the luckiest idiot alive.

“I think my mom left to go pick up Archie.” Jughead drops a kiss to her neck, pulling a soft sigh from her lips. “We can make out for fifteen minutes before they get back? And then we can talk about everything that’s going on?” Pulling back to look at her, he wants to make sure she’s happy with the plan.

“Breaks are awfully good for comprehension.” She’s beaming up at him, eyes sparkling once again and he decides to kiss that smug smile off her face in the next few minutes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked it!! Let me know what you think! Hopefully I didn't hurt your hearts too much. Yay for happy endings though, right? 
> 
> Up next, the gang starts Junior year and tries to juggle the worries of impending college and future decisions. And, of course, a lot more kissing;)
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr: @ithoughtyoulikedmereckless


	5. i got you babe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I'm back! It's been a hell of a semester but I finally finished this chapter! Archie finally gets a serious girlfriend!! I hope you all like her because I love her very much. 
> 
> I hope you're all doing well and staying healthy!
> 
> Enjoy:)

_ “In some cases, when soulmates have been around one another for a number of years, their heartbeats sync in isolated moments. It is still unclear why exactly it occurs, but it seems to occur at unremarkable moments, such as in the seconds before falling asleep.” _

\- Excerpt from ‘Understanding Soulmates’

  
  


It’s the weekend before finals start— the beginning of the end of sophomore year. After hours of color-coded flashcards, papercuts, broken pencil tips and frustrated grunts from Archie, the gang had decided to take a break. Archie had hunkered down for a deep power nap while Betty and Jughead decided to escape for a little while.

Which brings them here, sitting on a blanket next to Sweetwater River. Betty lets out a contented sigh as she leans back into Jughead’s chest, his arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders as she rests her head against his bicep. She feels Jughead brush a kiss to her temple and a soft smile comes to her lips. 

They’ve settled into an easy intimacy that doesn’t scare her as much as it had in the beginning. Betty likes to take a mental snapshot of every moment with him. She’s noticed how easy it is to settle into a routine, but she never wants the little things to stop being exciting. So she has a mental memory bank just for him. 

Closing her eyes, Betty focuses on his steady heartbeat behind her. It feels like whenever they have quiet moments like these, their heartbeats sync with one another. That doesn’t seem physically possible, but she’s read that some soulmates claim it happens. 

_ But... _

“Hey, Jug?” She interrupts her thoughts, not wanting to have this conversation with herself again.

“Mmm?” Betty feels his response rumble against her back. She sinks further into him and she feels his arms wrap tighter around her in response.

Before asking the question she’s not really sure she wants the answer to, Betty takes a moment to listen to the water trickle over and around the stones in its path.

“Do you think I’m your soulmate?” She whispers it, almost hoping that her words get carried away by the wind. 

Her fingers find his mark mindlessly, tracing the lines and shapes she’s come to memorize against her better judgment. 

“Yes,” he says, unwavering. His voice is sure and smooth.

Part of the reason she had asked him now was so that she wouldn’t be able to see his face. Even so, his voice gives away everything she can’t see. He’s probably got a crease in between his eyebrows like he gets when he’s trying to convince her of something he knows as absolute truth. 

“But how can you be so sure?” She needs him to reassure her. She wants him to prove that her doubt is ridiculous.

His head ducks down to rest on her shoulder. “I just have this feeling that we’ll be together forever, y’know?” Jughead places a soft kiss to her shoulder. “You’re the only one I see etched into my mark. I can’t possibly imagine anyone else.”

Betty lets his words sink into her, nodding against his arm. She can’t imagine the curves and pigments of her mark representing any other boy. How could there be a more perfect person for her?

“But, if that wasn’t the case, would you still choose me?” she muses.

“What do you mean?”

Betty twists around in his arms in order to see his face, moving her legs to rest on top of his, one on either side of his waist. Her hands grab onto the bottom of his shirt where she fiddles with the soft fabric, pulling it between her fingers. “If somehow we’ve read the universe wrong, would you still pick me? Would you still want to stay with me forever?” Her eyes flick to his, deep and focused. She continues to ramble, wanting him to know her thoughts before he commits to an answer. “Because I don’t know if I really believe in soulmates.”

Confusion flickers across his face so she continues with her contemplation. “Obviously, I know scientifically, they’re really and truly a thing. But, I don’t know if I believe that soulmates bring everyone their ultimate happiness. If you’re not my soulmate, I don’t think I need to find them.”

“You don’t?”

“I mean, think about it.” Betty cups his face in her hands, resting her forehead against his. “What I feel for you is so much more than anything my parents have, and they're supposed to be perfect for one another. What if the universe is wrong sometimes?”

“But my parents _ are _ happy. Along with thousands of other couples. You’re my soulmate, Betty. I feel it.

“I know, I do too.” She hesitates for a moment. “But, I can’t stop that little voice in the back of my mind telling me it’s ridiculous.” Her eyes are closed, keeping her forehead resting against his, focusing on the feeling of his fingers tracing boundless shapes onto her skin. “You’d choose me regardless, right?” She needs to hear it, even if she knows his answer.

“Yes.”

And there it is again, his unwavering and sturdy answer. 

“Always?” she asks softly, moving her head back so she can look him in the eyes. She’s asking him a question, but she can tell by the way he’s looking back at her that he knows it’s a promise.

“Forever.”

Closing the distance between them, she presses a soft kiss to his lips. He melts into her and they trade gentle whispers and tender kisses while they listen to the river gurgle in front of them. 

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


“Okay, we have everything pretty much packed, right?” Betty says, looking over her meticulously-made packing list. 

Jughead’s in the bed of the truck, surveying all of their gear to make sure it’s all packed securely while Archie sits on the edge, swinging his legs. They’re headed to the beach for a few days so the back of the truck is full with their tent, many beach umbrellas, beach chairs, a few coolers and whatever else Archie deemed necessary. 

“Um, about that,” Archie stops his legs, holding onto the edge of the truck. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask, but kept forgetting.”

Betty raises a single eyebrow at him, because they’ve been planning this for weeks now and she knows he isn’t waiting until an hour before they leave to tell her something that could ruin everything.

“I, uh, was wondering if maybe I could bring someone with us?” Archie looks at the pavement of the driveway before meeting her eyes again.

Jughead climbs out from the depths of the truck bed, hops down and stands next to Betty, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “I mean, we did just pack the truck so exactly three people will fit.”

“Jug’s right, Arch, I don’t think we’d have the room. Who is it? Chuck, Reggie? They can always meet us there with their own car.” 

“No actually, I—” Archie’s cut off when a girl with reflective aviators pulls up to the Andrews’ driveway, kicking up her skateboard before she makes her way up the driveway. Her sleek black hair is thrown into a messy bun and she’s wearing black cut-off jean shorts with a chunky belt and a cropped lime green tank top. She’s wearing everything Betty wishes she could pull off, her outfit complete with black and white checkered vans and a black backpack. 

Betty leans up to whisper in Jughead’s ear, “Do we know her?”

“Don’t think so.”

Archie jumps off of the truck and flashes her a cheesy smile. “Hey Ellie!” he greets as he slides a hand around her waist and kisses her quickly. 

Squinting at the scene in front of her Betty looks back to Jughead again and mouths, “Is this new?” He looks about as lost as she is, though, and shrugs.

The girl, Ellie, peeks around Archie's shoulder and flashes them a smile and a casual wave. “Hey guys! It was really cool of you to invite me on your trip.” She pushes her sunglasses up to the top of her head. Her brown eyes are kinder than Betty had expected. “I’m really excited to hang out with you all. Archie talks about you all the time, it’s nice to put some faces to the names.”

A few seconds pass while Betty tries to process all the information that she’s just been bombarded with. Her Cooper instincts kick in when Archie coughs awkwardly and Ellie seems to realize that maybe Archie hadn’t talked about her as much as he’s spoken about Jughead and Betty. 

“Yeah, no! It’s great to meet you Ellie.” Betty moves towards her with a warm smile and kicks Jug in the ankle to get him to do the same. 

“We were just about to organize all this crap in the truck, so you’re just in time!” he says easily. 

Ellie releases a visible sigh of relief. “Okay, great. How can I help?”

Jughead starts to move things around and hands her two of the beach chairs. Betty catches his eye and makes a panicked face, but he just smiles and nods towards the house. His message is clear: she’ll be okay once she gets all the information.

“Hey Arch, will you help me inside with some last minute snack decisions?” 

“Sure thing.” Archie brushes a hand against Ellie’s back. “ You good here, El?”

She nods and Betty and Archie make their way inside, the latter hopping onto the counter. “I can’t believe you’re asking me for snack help and not Jughead. He must have done something horrible to piss you off.”

Betty waves him away. “I’ve had our snacks planned since the beginning of June. You know it can’t be done any other way or else Jughead would _ help _ us right into filling three refrigerators.”

“Very true.” He laughs. “So, what’s up?”

Betty’s eyes widen. She restrains herself from shrieking, even though she feels like it. “Archie! Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Her arm flies towards the door.

“Oh.” He hops off of the counter, and clasps his hands together, as he rocks back and forth on his heels. “I was afraid you guys wouldn’t let me bring her because you’d think we’d break up in the middle of the trip, which would be miserable for pretty much everyone.” 

Betty presses her lips together to keep from saying exactly that. His track record with lasting relationships isn’t great. Archie looks a little anxious himself, which is not something she sees in him too often. He’s scanning her face and she’s not sure if he wants her to tell him this idea is ridiculous or tell him it’s a beautiful, romantic gesture.

Softening her shoulders and sighing, she asks him softly, “You really like her, huh?”

Archie’s face splits into a grin and his eyes become a little unfocused, like he’s the male lead in any romcom from the early 2000s.

“Yeah,” he rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks tinged a soft pink, “she’s a lot different than the girls I’ve dated in the past. I didn’t introduce her to you guys right away because I was sure she would figure out she was way too cool for me.”

“Archie Andrew? Not cool enough for a _ girl? _ Impossible,” Betty teases. 

“_ Betty _.” He shoves her shoulder.

“I’m just teasing, Arch. But seriously, what’s not to like? I’m sure once you show off your sandcastle building skills, she’ll be head over heels for you.” 

Archie returns her smile and gives her a big hug. “Thanks for being so cool with this. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Giving him a little extra squeeze before pulling away. “Oh, you’ll make it up to me by doing the dishes every night. You and Ellie can have some quality bonding time up at the sketchy dish sink near the bathrooms.”

Archie opens his mouth, probably the beginning of a protest but he closes it before saying anything and shrugs. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair.”

Betty clicks her tongue and shoots finger guns at him to which he rolls his eyes and makes his way towards the door with a muttered “Dork.”

  
  
  
  


They've only been on the road for a half hour and Betty’s ready to strangle both Archie and Jughead. 

“Juggie, it’s literally showing _ and _ telling you the directions. Not to mention I’m repeating them as soon as it’s done talking.” She glares at the side of her very cute but slightly useless boyfriend’s head as he looks out the windshield. “So, please, explain to me how you missed the exit. Again _ . _”

“_ Babe. _ You can’t play ‘Stacy’s Mom’ and expect me not to jam out. It’d be unethical.” Jughead glances at her quickly before bringing his eyes back to the road. 

“I’ll show you unethical,” she mutters under her breath. 

“You should put on Mario Kart music!” Archie pipes up from the back. “ It’ll make him drive like a pro for sure.”

Betty ignores him in favor of trying to find a new route to take that won’t add an extra hour to their trip. 

“Give me the aux, Betts, I have the star music downloaded. No one’ll be able to stop him.” His hand pokes at her arm.

“Don’t make me reach back there and hit you, Archibald,” she threatens. 

Behind her, a snort comes from Ellie. “Is this always how road trips go?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Betty turns around to look at her, and is only half joking when she asks, “You wanna take my place? I’m ready to trade them in for an upgrade.”

“Awe, Betts, after everything we’ve been through?” Jughead pouts at her.

Archie makes a face like she’s just stabbed him rather than telling him he’s irritating. “How could you?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Betty pushes Jughead’s cheek lightly so he’ll stop looking at her. “Now shush and keep your eyes on the road. I’m putting on Taylor Swift so you actually pay attention to what you’re doing.”

Jughead groans and Archie hoots. They get to their campsite in forty-five minutes instead of the hour it’s supposed to take. 

  
  
  
  


By the time they get all set up—there are only a few mishaps with the tent posts and one quick sword fight with said tent posts—the sun is setting, casting an array of colors across the sky. They use the last moments of light to start a fire and get water ready to boil for their cups of instant ramen. 

“So,” Ellie breaks the silence the four of them have settled into as they watch the fire. “Betty, you’re on the cheerleading squad, right?”

“Yeah, are you on Greendale’s squad? Is that how you and Archie met?” Betty pulls the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands. “He mentioned that you were dating but never actually told us how you met.”

Ellie has a subtle intensity about her, so her soft giggle comes as a surprise to Betty. “No actually, kinda the opposite. I’m in my school’s pep band, I play the trumpet. We met one night after band camp when he and his friends were dicking around on the field, and I started yelling at them because they almost squashed a tuba.”

Betty watches Archie as he listens to Ellie speak. The reflection of the flame makes his eyes twinkle as he looks at her, but if the look on his face is anything to go by, Betty thinks they would look the same without the fire. Her gaze lands on Archie’s wrist, a cloth band-aid over the place where his puzzle piece is. After their trip to the lake last year, he’d gotten pretty adamant about wanting to fall in love himself. The only time he takes it off is to replace it with another one. 

“She scared the shit out of Reggie,” he says, facing Betty and Jughead with a wide grin. “I’ve never seen him run so fast.” 

“Archie was the only one to stay back and actually apologize.” Ellie looks at Archie with a smile that reflects his. “I was still pissed though, and refused when he offered to carry the tuba back. I figured he’d probably break it.”

Archie pipes back in. “But she couldn’t resist my charm and begged me to go out on a date with her.”

Jughead barks out a laugh at that. “Yeah right, buddy.”

Ellie laughs at the glare Archie throws Jughead’s way. “Actually, he followed me all the way back to the band room even when I told him to get lost. I only gave him my Snapchat so that he would leave me alone.”

“There we go. That’s the Archie we know and love.”

“The only reason I started talking to him was because my friends had seen him following me and freaked out about the hot football player. They basically hijacked my phone and forced me to talk to him.” Ellie leans over and kisses a disgruntled-looking Archie’s cheek, who perks up at the attention. “But he’s not so bad, I guess,” she says, a teasing lilt to her tone.

Betty can’t help the smile that comes to her face when looking at them. Ellie seems to balance Archie’s loverboy personality well; it’s good that she’s a little rough around the edges. 

  
  
  
  
  


It’s still dark when Betty’s eyes drift open of their own accord. Jughead’s mouth is open and gentle snores are tumbling out. Pressing her smile into his shirt, she decides that if she’s up before the sun, he has to join her. Betty lightly scratches against his abdomen and places a kiss where her mouth is at his chest. “Juggie,” she whispers, conscious of the other two people still asleep in the tent. He doesn’t move, so she scratches a little harder, moving to place soft kisses against his neck. “Jug, wake up.”

He lets out a discontented groan and grabs her hand, a slight frown forming on his lips. 

“Come watch the sunrise with me,” she whispers next to his ear.

He rolls over, shoving his face further into the pillow but keeping his arm tightly around her waist. “S’early, too sleepy.” 

“Please, Juggie?” 

He mumbles a response, but it’s lost into the pillow. Sleepy early morning Jughead is one of her favorite versions of him by far. He’s a closet cuddler, especially when he’s tired. 

“It’d just be the two of us and we can share a blanket. If you felt me up, no one would even know.”

She lets out a giggle when his eyes finally open at her last assurance.

“You don’t play fair.” 

“I know.” She kisses the tip of his nose and tugs lightly on his arm. “Come on, sleepyhead.”

She can see his resolve slipping as he looks at her, sleep clearing slightly from his expression, replaced by a shy smile. 

“Yeah, okay.”

They stumble as quietly as they can out of the tent, checking to make sure their tent mates are still sound asleep before grabbing a blanket and heading to the boardwalk that leads to the beach. Settling in a spot protected from the wind by sand dunes, Jughead pulls Betty into his lap and wraps the blanket around them. 

They settle into silence and Betty watches the sun meet the new day. It feels as though, if she and Jughead are still enough, they can become a part of the scene instead of interrupting it. It feels as though they’re the only ones left on Earth. His lips find the side of her head, and she allows her eyes to drift shut. In years to come, she thinks, she’ll revisit this moment when everything she needs for happiness is around her. 

After the sun rises above the horizon, Betty takes the hand clasped in hers and brings it up to her mouth, placing a kiss on his palm. “You didn’t even try to get to second base. I don’t know if I should be concerned or impressed.”

“_ Hey _,” he chuckles. “I am capable of spending time alone with you and keeping my hands to myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She feels Jughead’s smile against her shoulder as his hand moves to her chest and gives a teasing squeeze. “ I just don’t want to.”

“_M__hm _.” 

He drops his hand and moves to stand up, pulling her with him. Betty turns around and he wraps his arms around her so that the blanket, still around his shoulders, envelops her. Her arms go around his waist and she looks up at him. Her heart flutters at the soft look he’s giving her.

“I love you.”

Her whispered declaration is met with the smile reserved just for her and she doesn’t even need him to say it back. She just knows. 

Betty raises up on her tiptoes and presses a soft, firm kiss to his lips, one he reciprocates immediately. She melts into him, savoring the moment. Resting his forehead against hers, he sighs against her lips, all tension gone from his body.

“Thanks for watching the sunrise with me.”

He presses a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks for waking me up.”

Betty begrudgingly steps away from him, only to grab his hand and tug him back towards the campsite. 

“How are you feeling about Ellie? I never did get to check in after your chat with Archie.” Jughead wraps the blanket around her shoulders as they walk.

“I think she’s good for Archie, and she seems really sweet. I’m excited to spend more time with her today.”

“I have to laugh though,” he continues when Betty raises her eyebrows in question. “He used to listen to that one Taylor Swift song on repeat when we were kids. Now he’s dating a girl who stays on the bleachers.” Betty laughs and Jughead nudges her shoulder with his own. “Maybe he manifested it.”

“Only Archie.”

When they make it back to the tent, Archie and Ellie are still asleep so the two of them start on breakfast. The noise eventually draws the others from the tent and the four of them plan their day over mini boxes of cereal before getting ready to head to the beach for the day. 

Jughead spends more time than is necessary setting up their station for the day, making sure the umbrellas are tilted at the perfect angle and all food is hidden from view. He and the seagulls have some serious beef from the previous summer. Ellie helps Archie put on sunblock, sharing a knowing look with Betty over his shoulder and fondly rolling her eyes. Betty turns her attention back to a very frazzled Jughead, watching him rearrange set-up once again and knowing better than to try and help. 

Finally, Betty’s able to drag him away with praise for a job well done and a challenge to beat her to the water. He holds her gaze intently before jolting into a sprint. They barrel towards the ocean with reckless abandon. Betty’s in the lead and about to jump into the water when Jughead arms wrap around her middle and swings her around so he gets to it before her. She lets out a surprised shriek and melts into laughter. 

“I won,” he wheezes next to her ear, clearly out of breath.

“Only ’cause you cheated.”

“Doesn’t matter how it happened, just matters that I beat Betty “I don’t lose” Cooper at her own challenge.” He tickles her sides as he speaks and only stops once she relents and pronounces him the winner. 

Ellie and Archie are both sprinting towards them, tied with each other and faces bright red with exertion. Betty sees a wicked look pass over Ellie’s features and then in the next moment, she’s shoving Archie with all her body weight into the sand. He hits the ground with thud and makes a solid crater in the ground while Ellie rushes into the water and starts cheering about her victory. 

“I think Archie’s finally met his match,” Jughead whispers, eyes glued on the side of Ellie’s face. He looks mildly horrified. Betty giggles and splashes him.

Archie never actually makes it to the water, getting distracted by the massive puddle which has formed in the dent he had created. The next time they look back to check on him, he’s already got two massive drip castles made and is working on a third. A kid in yellow swim trunks who looks to be about 8 has joined him and they’re happily mapping out their empire. When Betty, Jughead, and Ellie finally join him, it seems like nearly half the kids at the beach are following his orders and there’s a maze of what has to be at least thirty castles around the puddle Archie has made. 

Betty notices the fond smile on Ellie’s face before she goes over and places a kiss to his cheek, which makes Archie blush and an chorus of “ooohs” come from his little helpers. He really did win her over with his sandcastle skills. How perfectly Archie. 

The sun now hovering low in the sky, Archieville melts back into the beach when the tide comes in, bringing an end to his reign. It’s just as well, as the hours of sun have caught up to Betty and she knows she has a pretty nasty sunburn from the dull sting on her cheeks and nose. She’s wholly exhausted in the way that only comes from being on the beach all day. 

Betty wraps her arms around Jughead’s shoulders and her legs wrapped loosely around his waist and he carries her up the beach. She rests her head on his shoulder, admiring his profile, slightly jealous of perfect sun kissed skin next to her impersonation of a cherry tomato. 

When they get to their towels, Jughead turns his head and places a soft kiss to her nose. “You look cute with your crispy skin.” 

Betty chuckles and slides off his back. “How romantic. You should give up your mystery novel dreams and switch to romance.”

He pulls her into him, hands on her waist. “Nah, this is all yours, baby.” He smirks into their kiss, one she’s happy to reciprocate but is denied the opportunity by a hangry Archie.

“Gross, guys. There are children here.”

Betty pulls back, but Jughead keeps his arms where they are, holding her close. “Are you the children in question, Arch?” he asks with amusement in his voice. 

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

Ellie puts an arm around Archie’s shoulders. “Can confirm, he’s definitely a child.”

“Hey!” Archie shrieks.

“You said it first! I’m just backing you up.” Archie opens his mouth to say something else, but Ellie swoops in and places a kiss to it before he can. “Better?” she smiles, their nose still touching. 

“Maybe.” 

Betty laughs when Jughead mumbles “hypocrite” under his breath and leans up to kiss his cheek before breaking out of his grip to start cleaning up their stuff. While Archie’s taking down the umbrellas, Betty refolds all the towels he had folded wrong and Ellie and Jughead work together to drain the cooler of all its melted ice. 

  
  
  
  
  


Having decided to just get junk food and ice cream from the office camp store instead of actually making dinner, Betty is browsing the chip aisle when Archie practically runs into her from behind. 

“Betty, I need a quarter.”

Betty answers without looking up from the shelves. “Just because there’s a vending machine doesn’t mean you need to get something.”

“Come _ on _ , Betts, I know you have an unreasonable amount of change. _ Please _.”

“I’m just confused, why don’t you have any?” Betty finally looks up at him, and he looks like he’s about three second from begging on his knees.

“I don’t like carrying it around and I don’t like sitting there and counting it to give to the cashier so if I get change back, I just tell them to keep it.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Betty, it’s one quarter, you’re not going to go broke. Please,” he pleads desperately. 

Laughing, she digs out a quarter and hands it to him. “Go crazy.”

"_T__hank you!” _

Betty watches as he runs off towards the vending machine in the back of the store, nearly slipping where the wet floor sign sits. Spotting Jug in the next aisle, Betty sneaks up behind him and places her hands on his shoulder, reaching up to whisper in his ear. “I have a feeling Archie’s about to cause a spectacle, come watch with me.”

“Oooh! It’s been a couple days since the last one.” 

They find a sunglasses stand to peer around, not wanting to stand in the way of Archie and the entertainment he is no doubt about to create. Archie has whatever he got from the vending machine clutched in his hand as he makes his way over to Ellie with a wide grin. 

Archie uncaps the clear canister with a purple cap and pinches the ring inside between his fingers as he presents it to Ellie. She stares at him with wide eyes, her gaze flickering between his face and the ring rapidly. 

“It’s a promise ring, Ellie! Will you wear it?” he asks, a little over-confidently, Betty thinks.

Ellie just stares at the ring, looking a little confused and maybe even the slightest bit disgusted. At her silence, Betty sees Archie’s confidence fade. 

“I mean, it was just a silly—never mind.” 

He starts to step away from her and stuff the ring in his pocket when Ellie shoots a hand out and grabs his arm. “No! No, I’ll wear it. I just…” she shrugs, and offers him a smile, “I’m not usually a very sentimental person.” Taking the ring from him, she puts it on her right ring finger and holds her hand out for Archie. “Like it?”

Archie’s looking at her with a dopey expression while she looks at her hand. “Love it.”

Betty can tell Jughead is trying really hard to keep his comments to himself, so she grabs his hand and squeezes. “Wanna poke fun at Archie a little?”

He gives her a wicked grin that she can’t help but laugh at. “Always.”

On the way back to their site, Archie and Ellie walk behind Jughead and Betty and offer to hold the bags of snacks, leaving the latters’ hands free for their plan. When Archie’s in the middle of a very passionate speech about hot Cheetos being the ultimate snack, Jughead drops down on one knee in front of them all.

“_Oh_, Betty,” he says, clutching his heart and looking up at her from the ground. “Will you wear my ring? Will you be mine?” He holds the ring out to her with a dramatic look on his face. “I don’t know if I could continue on if you don’t.”

Betty sees Archie’s mouth drop open out of her peripherals. . 

“Oh, _ Juggie_!” Betty holds out her left hand for him. “I’ll never take it off until the day I _ die _.” She ends her declaration by draping her right hand over her forehead as he slides the ring onto her left ring finger.

“You can both go to hell.” Archie grumbles. Ellie’s bent over in laughter, her hand on Archie’s arm like she’s trying to be supportive but the laughter at his expense won out. 

“Only if you come with us, pal,” Jughead jests. 

“We’re just teasing, Arch,” Betty ruffles his hair which makes him scrunch his nose in irritation at her. “It was very sweet.”

Ellie, having composed herself, places a kiss to the corner of his mouth and smiles, instantly making his frown disappear. “Yes, very sweet.”

Jughead takes Betty’s hand again and swings their hands in between them as they continue walking. “You know, you don’t actually have to wear that, Betts.”

“I told you I’d wear it until I die, and I’m not one to break promises.” The ring is just a simple silver band with a flattened front and an engraved crown. It reminds her of the knit hat he wore on the first day they met, the one that now sits on his dresser in his room. She tells him as much, “You were mine from the very first day, and now I have a reminder of that.

Jughead smiles and bumps her shoulder with his own. “Now who’s the cheesy one? You're going to give Archie a run for his money.”

  
  
  


***

  
  


Usually, Jughead would be thrilled that it’s meatloaf night, but he hasn’t seen Betty outside of school in nearly four days because she’s been swamped with end of quarter projects. Plus, she had played hooky for the day with Polly today as part of their “Last Hurrah Bucket List” before Polly leaves for college in the fall. Betty’s supposed to come over when dinner’s done so they can do the work she missed in their shared English class. That’s Alice’s plan anyway-- his plan involves a lot more kissing. 

Jughead’s phone is on silent, lying screen-side up on the left side of his plate so it’s obstructed from his mom’s view. They aren’t allowed to have their phones at the table, but Betty is supposed to text him when her family’s done with dinner and he doesn’t want to miss it. 

As he’s listening to his dad recount his day at the construction site, a forkful of squash halfway to his face, his phone lights up. Stuffing the squash into his mouth and going for another forkful, he glances over at his parents to make sure they’re occupied to check Betty’s text. 

His shoulders sag when it’s not a text from his beautiful girlfriend, but instead a text notification from Archie. Jughead had long ago changed out Archie’s name in his phone for a single poop emoji. Nothing is funnier than having his speaker announce “incoming call from… smiling pile of poop” when he’s listening to music and Archie calls. 

He tosses a glance at Archie across the table, but can’t see his phone. It must be in his lap, which is honestly a lot smarter than Jughead’s current setup. As discreetly as possible, Jughead unlocks his phone.

_ omg _ 🥺 _ a love bruise _ 🥺 _ bro _🥺

Jughead stares at the message and reads it a few times having no clue what Archie’s trying to tell him. He looks up and stares at Archie, tilting his head to the side clearly expressing to Archie that he doesn’t have a clue what he’s trying to get at. 

Archie pouts at him, almost like he thinks Jughead’s adorable, and then taps the side of his neck with his fingers. Jughead continues to stare blankly at him for a moment before realization finally dawns on him. _ Crap. _His hand flies to the side of his neck and he rolls his eyes at the shit eating grin now on Archie’s face. 

Usually, he and Betty tried to keep hickeys to places that could be easily covered because Alice would demand a chaperone at all times if she were to ever see one. She’s bad enough as it is. Which he thinks it’s unnecessary, given they haven’t even had sex yet. Though they've done some other things, he’s wanted to take it slow and Betty’s been more than supportive. Over the weekend, they had finally had some time alone when Archie was at Ellie’s and his parents were away visiting friends. Betty was pretty excited when she showed up and he was wearing her favorite flannel. Let’s just say he didn’t really care what she was doing or where she was doing it as long as she didn’t stop. His brain gets a little fuzzy when Betty kisses him. It’s not his fault.

Archie won’t quit making obnoxious fishy faces at him so Jughead finishes his dinner as quickly as possible and asks to be excused. He makes sure to kick Archie under the table and make a clear show of rolling his eyes at him (like the mature individual he is) before getting up to put his dishes in the dishwasher. 

He’s halfway up the stairs when he hears Archie running from the kitchen and sliding into the wall at the base of the stairs. Jughead starts to run up the rest of the stairs, hoping that Archie doesn’t follow him into his room. 

But of course he does. 

“Bro, you have a love bruise. How do you feel? This is huge. Like, that’s so cute, bro.”

“Archie, can’t you bother someone else? Your girlfriend, maybe?” Jughead steps into his room and immediately tries to close the door, but Archie is already halfway through the doorway so Jughead turns and leans back, using all his body weight to keep his door closed. “She chose this, I didn’t. Leave me alone.”

Archie’s unfairly stronger than him, though, and just keeps talking away as Jug fights with everything in him to get the door shut. “Love bruises are just the only way you can say it. Hickey just isn’t right, y’know? Like, it’s not there for no reason. That’s love, bro.”

The rug on Jughead’s floor slips against the harwood, giving him zero traction, and Archie easily makes his way into the room, Jughead pitifully sliding along with the rug. All hope of peace, lost. 

“Ellie hits me in the arm whenever I call them love bruises, but I just think it’s the most fitting name. It’s worth the abuse.” Archie makes himself comfortable on Jughead’s bed. Obviously he is not planning on leaving anytime soon. 

Jughead stays by the door, rubbing his temples trying to get a complete thought from one side of his brain to the other. Thankfully, Archie’s there to keep that from happening.

“So how did it happen? This can’t be the first one you’ve gotten? I need all the details, my man.” Archie finally stops talking and breathes for what seems like the first time since he started talking.

“I’m not talking about this, Archie.” Jughead says grumpily. 

Archie shrugs and leans back before sitting bolt upright again, a look of disgust pinching up on his face. “Oh _ gross_. Betty gave you that.”

That’s the last thing Jughead expected to come out of his mouth and he can’t help but burst into laughter. “Well, yeah, who else do you think I’ve been kissing?”

Archie falls against Jughead’s bed with a lazy thump. “I don’t know, I didn’t get that far. I just saw the love bruise—”

“Let’s stop calling it that.” Jughead walks over to his desk chair and flops down, coming to terms with the fact that he’s stuck with this torture until Betty texts him.

“No way! Love bruises are so much more romantic than a hickey. Can you imagine _ not _calling it a love bruise? What kind of loveless life must you live in?”

“Shut _ up_, Archie.” 

“Dude, do you realize that _ Betty _ gave that to you? Like that’s kinda really gross. But also, like good on you, y’know? Like, should I be proud or disgusted? Is it possible to be both? Like, the little bro is growing up so fast. But also, I never want to think about Betty like that ever. I guess you do, so it’s not that weird? But also so gross because she’s _ Betty. _” Archie rambles on, his head now hanging off the bed so he’s staring at Jughead upside down.

Jughead closes his eyes and lowers his head to the desk, waiting for his brain to start melting out of his head, when his phone buzzes. 

A jolt of life pumps through him, and he jumps up, grabbing his phone off the desk without checking it, knowing the universe isn’t cruel enough to make that text from anyone but Betty. He runs towards his window, stopping to address Archie before he leaves. 

“Not that I’m not _ loving _ this, but I gotta go. See ya, Arch.” He doesn’t wait for a response before opening his window and climbing through as fast as he can. The ladder is still there from when Betty snuck in a few weekends ago, so really, it’s easier than taking the door. Plus, this way, Archie will hopefully be discouraged from following him, and he won’t have to be held up by his parents explaining the change of plans due to a certain lovely brother of his. 

He runs across the shared lawn, dodging the snow piles and mud patches that late March brings, making it to the Cooper’s front porch just as Betty’s opening the door. 

“Oh!” Betty’s surprise melts into a smile after a second and grabs his hand when he gets close enough. “What are you doing? Didn’t you get my text?”

Jughead tosses a look over his shoulder to make sure he’s not being followed before quickly kissing Betty on the corner of her mouth and shuffling her back inside with a soft hand on her waist. “We haven’t hung out here in a while. Thought it might be a nice change of scenery.”

Betty raises an unbelieving eyebrow at him but doesn’t question further as he tugs her towards the stairs.

He waves to Mrs. Cooper and trades pleasantries with her, Hal presumably already in his study in the basement. 

Once they reach the top of the stairs and are out of sight, Jughead pulls Betty closer to kiss her like he should have when he first saw her. 

“Get a room!” Polly teases as she comes around the corner. 

Jughead pulls away from the kiss and rolls his eyes at Betty’s sister. “Nice to see you too, Polly.”

“Always a pleasure to see my future bro-in-law.” She passes them with a wink and wiggles her fingers in a teasing wave. “Don’t have too much fun.” Before either he or Betty can respond, she’s in her room and the door’s closed. 

Jughead stares at the closed door, trying to process what Polly had just said. “Uhh,” he manages, ever eloquent. 

Betty lets out a pinched, nervous giggle and her breath brushes the side of his face. When he looks back at her, there's an adorable blush covering her cheeks. One he traces with his thumb. 

He knows there’s a big, dumb grin on his face, but he can’t help it. His heart just about melts from his chest, when her mouth curves into a shy smile. Her eyes are so soft in the yellow lighting of the hallway, and he’s struck with the feeling of being absolutely, irreversibly in love with her. It’s a mystery to him how he hadn’t realized his feelings sooner than he had.

Betty clears her throat, breaking the moment. “You didn’t bring my school work, did you?” She chuckles and moves away from him to go into her room.

Jughead looks at her sheepishly. “I made a quick and painless exit, babe, had I waited any longer, things would’ve gotten messy.” 

As soon as they step into her room, Betty wraps her arms around his neck, his hands finding their rightful place at her hips. “You’re hopeless, you know that?” 

“Yeah, but you still love me.”

She responds with a sweet smile.

Rubbing the exposed skin above the top of her jeans with his thumbs, he lowers his head to meet hers, letting their noses brush lightly. She brings him closer, her arms tightening ever so slightly around his neck. His eyes drift shut as their breaths mingle, the distance between them shrinking—

“Hi, Mrs. Cooper!” a very unwelcome voice floats up from downstairs.

_ No, no, no! _Jughead pulls away from Betty, only vaguely aware of her lips chasing his. 

“I have Betty’s school work, Jug must have forgotten it in his rush to get here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” His head falls in defeat to Betty’s shoulder. “Can’t I have just one kiss uninterrupted?”

“Go on up, dear,” he hears Mrs. Cooper say.

“Betty we have to close the door. Now!” He takes her arms from around his neck and tries to push her further into the room and get to the door before Archie can invade the space.

“Jug, what are you talking about?”

Adrenaline courses through his body when he sees Archie’s bright, idiotic smile in front of him. In a scene irritatingly similar to not fifteen minutes ago, Jughead is once again throwing his entire body weight at the door in a failed attempt to keep his brother out of Betty’s room.

Betty puts a hand on his arm and gives him a disappointed look. He has no choice but to back away from the door, and let Archie by.

Handing Betty her schoolwork, Archie sticks his tongue out at Jughead when Betty kisses his cheek in thanks. 

“You didn’t have to bring this over Arch, I would have walked over once Jughead was ready to go home. “ 

Archie pulls out the chair from Betty’s vanity and straddles it, resting his arms on the back of the chair. “It was no problem. Plus, Jughead’s been hogging you and I wanted to see you.

“He really is terrible, isn’t he?” Betty says, scrunching her nose in Jughead’s direction. 

Walking away from the door, Jughead wraps his arms around Betty from behind and rests his head on her shoulder. She responds to him immediately, her body melting against his and her hands folding over his. 

“Yes, horrible.” Jughead grumbles, “Now will you please leave, Archie?”

Archie looks offended, “Betty said I could stay, so I’m staying”

“I don’t remember—”

“Anyway, as I was saying when you left earlier, I just don’t like the word. It doesn’t suit the situation at all. I mean, maybe if it’s just someone random but—”

Jughead groans and Betty just laughs, obviously amused with his irritation.

She tilts her head towards him, their lips millimeters apart. “What is he talking about?” She whispers to him.

Jughead’s eyes don’t leave her lips. It’s so unfair how much the universe hates him. He could have been making out with Betty for the last five minutes if not for a certain red-head he tells himself he loves dearly. 

Eventually he drags his eyes away and is met with absolute bafflement. “He doesn’t like the word hickey and has been trying to get me to simultaneously tell him all the details of how I got the one on my neck, which, thanks for that by the way,” she blushes an adorable pink and bites her lip, “and convince—”

“Are you guys even _ listening _to me?!” Archie’s voice cracks, voice on the edge of a screech.

Jughead glares so hard at Archie he’s disappointed when he doesn’t burst into flames. Extracting himself from Betty, he toes off his shoes and takes a seat on her bed. Betty takes the spot next to him.

“Sorry, Arch. Please, continue,” Betty chuckles.

“Thank you. As I was saying,” Archie clears his throat, “the connotation of love bruises is just so much more gentle and sweet and intentional and I think that’s beautiful.”

Jughead groans and falls to the side, his head landing in Betty’s lap. “I should never have taught him that word.” 

“You should be proud, Jug.” She lightly scratches his back as she speaks. “That was a four syllable word that he just used without prompting. He’s a new man. He might even beat one of us in our vocab competition this week.”

Jughead lifts his head up to see her face and her eyes are filled with laughter. He can’t help but smile himself, that is, until Archie demands their attention once again and starts on how he’s made most of the football team call them love bruises now.

Archie continues to ramble for the next fifteen minutes, or that’s at least when Jughead checks out. With Betty’s fingers massaging his scalp, he gives into the grasp of sleep without a fight.

  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  


It’s only the end of her junior year and her mom already expects her to have a major picked out as well as a list of at least fifteen schools she’s interested in attending. Not to mention, Betty’s expected to have a pros and cons list of each school ready for discussion. Her mother has just lectured her about having a sustainable career for the past hour, and in doing so made sure to make jabs at her father and Polly throughout.

She’s completely overwhelmed, her brain thrumming and hands shaky. 

Betty walks into Jughead’s room and sees him sitting on his bed, back resting against the wall and arms resting on his legs. There’s an intense furrow cemented between his brows. Archie is sprawled out on the beanbag in front of his bed. Both have controllers in their hands and headsets placed securely on their heads. They’re caught up with whatever game is on the screen, presumably talking to Reggie and Moose on the other side of their headsets. Neither acknowledge her presence, for which she’s grateful. Silently, she makes her way over to Jughead and without obscuring his view from the TV, sneaks her way into his lap so her legs are on either sides of his and she can completely wrap her body around his. She tucks her head into his shoulder, closes her eyes and breathes him in. 

“Don’t pause your game. Pretend I’m not even here,” she mumbles into his neck. 

His arms wrap tighter around her, bringing her body closer to his and his hands, still holding onto his controller, resting on her lower back. He lowers his head and places a kiss to her shoulder. “You sure you don’t need anything?”

“Just this.”

“Okay, baby.”

For the first time all day, she’s able to quiet the whirling thoughts in her mind. Though still there, Betty focuses on his smell and the soft cotton of his t-shirt. Within minutes, she feels her eyelids begin to droop shut and allows herself to give into her exhaustion.

When she wakes up again, the boys are still playing Fortnite, but from the sounds of it, they’re wrapping up. She sits up and rolls off of Jughead, nestling into his side instead, pretty sure his legs have probably fallen asleep.

Jughead presses a kiss to the crown of her hair. “Hey, sunshine, feeling better?”

“Mmm, you make a good pillow.”

“Shut up, Reggie, I obviously wasn’t calling you sunshine,” he says, miffed, into his mic before moving it up and away from his mouth. Glancing away from the screen for a moment, he holds his controller out to her. “Wanna take over for me? I’ll talk, you play. We’ll kick butt together.”

Betty happily takes the controller from him and immediately shoots oncoming enemies. 

Archie turns around, confused at the sudden change in Jughead’s talent. “Oh, sweet! Betty’s playing for Jug. We’ll win in no time now.”

“Gee, thanks, Arch.”

Archie just shrugs in return and tells Betty that all the guys are now roasting the crap out of Jughead over the headset. Betty places a hand on his thigh, and leans up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. 

“It’s okay, Juggie. You have other talents.”

“Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

She just smiles at him and continues to absolutely dominate on the screen. He doesn’t ask her about what’s going on, which she’s extremely grateful for, though she can tell he wants to. She even catches Archie’s concerned gaze a few times throughout the afternoon, but they don’t push and she’s reminded once again just how wonderful her boys are.

  
  
  
  


One day per schedule cycle, she and Jughead have the same lunch just the two of them. They’re sharing the couch in the student lounge as usual. Betty’s feet are tucked under her, arm resting on the back of the couch and body angled towards Jughead, his position mirroring hers. There’s a lull in their conversation about the assignment they have to do on _ The Great Gatsby _while Jughead finishes his sandwich. 

“Do you wanna talk about yesterday?” he asks carefully.

“It wasn’t a big deal. It was just another day with my mother,” she shrugs.

“Don’t do that, Betts. What was bothering you?” He reaches out, putting his hand over hers. 

She lets out a long sigh, and fiddles with the container her baby carrots are in. “My mom was pressuring me about college stuff and in the meantime, picking apart everything that Polly’s done wrong. Then she continued to tell me that she knows she won’t have those problems with me because I’m so much more responsible.” He squeezes her hand and she looks up at him gratefully. “And, I just—I’m so tired, Jug. I just want to enjoy what I can of this school year before worrying about college and the rest of my life.”

“Have you talked to Polly? She went through the same thing with your mom, she’d at least understand and maybe have some tips” 

“I tried,” Betty tosses the container of carrots onto the coffee table, “but she's dealing her own stuff with my parents because they hate every decision she makes. So when I talk to her, it becomes a vent session about how much she hates it here and then I end up thinking about living in that house without her, I get even more overwhelmed.” 

Betty takes her hand away from Jughead, wringing her hands together. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll get through it. I just have to focus on doing well this last semester and then I can start on everything my mom wants.”

“It’s okay to talk about how stressed you are, Betty.” His voice is unbelievably soft and she doesn’t want to acknowledge the lump in the back of her throat. “You don’t have to pretend all of this is okay.”

Her gaze lands on her soulmark, focusing on the harsh black shape outlines all over her puzzle piece. She hates the reason they’re there. There’s no need for them to be there. She’s fine. Flipping her hand over so her wrist is facing the couch, she looks back to Jughead. 

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I? I just needed to vent a little. It’s nothing new, I can handle it all.” She bumps his knee with her own, trying to bring back their lighthearted mood from a few moments ago. 

“Betts,” Jughead starts slowly, and her defenses go up at his tone, “have you considered therapy? You know I’m always here, but it might help to have someone objective to talk to. Someone you don’t have to feel like you’re burdening.” His gaze is intense, eyes swimming with concern. 

“I’m fine, Jug.”

“I still go sometimes, I find it really helpful.” He shrugs. “It really helped me process things growing up.”

“Jughead, I said I’m _ fine. _” She’s fighting the urge to clench her hands, knowing he’d notice.

He reaches forward, hand holding the side of her face and thumb lightly skimming the apple of her cheek. “I know, and I’m not saying you aren’t. Therapy doesn’t mean you’re broken, Betty.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She shies away from his touch, wanting the attention to end. “Thank you for your concern, but please just drop it. I’m _ fine _.”

“Okay.” He’s scanning her face and she really hates how easily he can read her sometimes. “Do you want to go to Pop’s for milkshakes later?” He offers her a small smile, one that eases the ache in her chest the smallest bit.

“Milkshakes on a Monday?” She lets out a slightly forced chuckle. “Does tradition mean nothing to you?”

His genuine laugh helps to put them back into their usual ease. “I never said we weren’t going on Wednesday too.”

“You’ve got yourself a date then, Jones.” She takes his hand again, watching their fingers lace together before meeting his gaze again.

He smiles, and she loves that she can still put the slight blush on his face with the mere mention of a date. 

“How could I be so lucky?” he murmurs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Do we like Ellie? 
> 
> Up next.... senior year and whole lot of change
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait:)
> 
> (P.S. Heidi has motioned to change the term hickey to love bruise permanently and Izzie has vehemently vetoed. Pls vote below lol)


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